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RECLAIMED 

OR 

The Mountain Castle Mystery 

AN INTERNATIONAL ROMANCE 

BY 

J. J. GRAY 



BROADWAY PUBLISHING CO. 
835 BROADWAY, NEW YORK 


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Copyright Entry 

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Copyright. 1907, 

BY 

). J. GRAY. 

All rights reserved. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER I. page. 

Serpent Enters Eden I 

CHAPTER II. 

A Conspiracy 9 

CHAPTER III. 

. The Capture in Red Pass 15 

CHAPTER IV. 

The Broken Home 21 

CHAPTER V. 

A Lost Identity 31 

CHAPTER VI. 

A Lost Cause 40 

CHAPTER VII. 

New Environment 51 

CHAPTER VIII. 

A Ludicrous Engagement 60 

CHAPTER IX. 

An Opportune Observer 69 


ii Contents. 

CHAPTER X. page. 

The Italian Modistes 75 

CHAPTER XI. 

At the Arcade 81 

CHAPTER XII. 

Midnight Misdeeds 87 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Diplomacy 96 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A Temporary Loan 102 

CHAPTER XV. 

An Exciting Encounter 108 

CHAPTER XVI. 

A Nuptial Complication 117 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Unknown Relatives 125 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Dastardly Duplicity 133 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Abducted Brides 145 

CHAPTER XX. 

Turning the Tables 153 

CHAPTER XXI. 

Retribution 161 


Contents. Hi 

CHAPTER XXII. page. 

The Sheriff’s Malfeasance 170 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

The Foreign Messenger 175 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

A Disguised Blessing 186 

CHAPTER XXV. 

Mother and Daughter 193 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

The Last Scene of All 208 





THE MOUNTAIN CASTLE MYSTERY 


CHAPTER I. 

SERPENT ENTERS EDEN. 

“Are you aware, Robert, that to-day is the fifth 
anniversary of our wedding?” asked the count- 
ess, as husband and wife were sitting in a luxuri- 
ously furnished apartment of the old castle, while 
their two little girls, Dena and Lena, were play- 
ing on a rug in the midst of numerous play- 
things. 

“Quite well aware of that interesting fact, dear 
Lucretia,” replied Count Robert Wendling; “and 
in proof that I have not been unmindful of the 
occasion, I now present you with a token of my 
regard;” thereupon withdrawing from an inner 
pocket of his coat a small parcel, and unwrap- 
ping it, disclosed a beautiful gem-set jewel case 
which he handed to the countess. 

Receiving the present with a radiant smile, she 
pressed a small button, when the lid flew open, 
exposing to view a diamond and pearl necklace 
of surpassing elegance and beauty. An exclama- 
tion of delight and surprise escaped her as she 
gazed at it. The little girls left their play and 


2 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


came and stood by their mother’s knee, clapping 
their hands gleefully. “Oh, how magnificent! 
How beautiful!” she reiterated, as, holding the 
necklace up, the luster and glitter of the ex- 
quisite gems were fairly dazzling. 

“Let me place it around your neck, dear,” he 
said. When this was done, she arose, surveyed 
herself in an opposite mirror, then threw her 
shapely arms around his neck and pressed her 
ruby lips to his. 

“I am glad you are pleased with the present,” 
said he, “for it is my constant aim to try to 
make you happy.” 

“I know it, O, how well I know it!” she re- 
plied, with emotion. “I thank God every day, 
for such a dear husband, such sweet, prattling 
children and such a magnificent home. My hap- 
piness is complete; may no evil influence ever 
come to blight it !” 

“Amen !” responded the count. 

At this point a youth appeared at the door with 
the daily mail for the castle which the count re- 
ceived and proceeded to examine. One letter 
particularly attracted his attention, which he 
opened and read, while his face wore a look of 
annoyance, as though the communication was of 
disagreeable import. 

“This letter,” he announced, “is from Casper 
Volrath, now at Berlin, who writes me an ap- 
peal for aid. Says that/since his wife died, three 
years ago, his investments have become losses, is 
reduced to penury, with the boy, Fritz, on his 
hands. Asks me to keep the boy, and help him 
(Casper) to funds or to a position of some sort 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 3 

That, although he has led a rather fast life, he 
has now resolved to reform and do better in the 
future. While I have held that father was too 
harsh in disinheriting Ruth for eloping with and 
marrying Volrath, against all our protests, yet I 
never had any confidence in Volrath. I had 
hoped he would continue to avoid me. What do 
you think about it?” 

“Your father was unduly harsh with Ruth in 
disinheriting and disowning her for her disobedi- 
ence; and I also feel pity for her surviving hus- 
band and son in their present distress. I believe 
in assisting and lifting up the unfortunate. They 
are poor and we are rich. We can afiford to be 
charitable. Give Casper and his boy a chance, 
Robert.” 

“If I hesitate to go to the relief of Volrath in 
this matter, Lucretia, it is because I believe, from 
the scant information I have obtained, that he is 
to blame for his present unhappy condition. He 
inherited a fine fortune. It is gone. How, I 
don’t know. It is known that he frequented the 
gambling houses of Monte Carlo ; that his career 
has been that of a sport. He admits that he has 
led a fast life, but intends to reform. If sure of 
his sincerity I would cheerfully advance him 
enough money to set him up in business; but I 
have misgivings about it.” 

“Don’t advance any money, Robert, but give 
him the position of business manager which is 
now vacant. I am sure he is capable of filling it. 
And the boy should be put to school. That would 
be splendid for both of them.” 

“All right, Lucretia, it shall be as you sug- 


4 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

gest. I will offer him the position at an in- 
creased salary. The boy shall also be taken care 
of. ,, 

Wendling castle, the home of the present 
count, and of his ancestors, back into the dim and 
misty past, was an ancient but well-preserved 
structure, situated in a pleasant valley near a 
rapid mountain stream which empties into the 
Elbe river about a mile belov^, the whole valley 
and contiguous mountains comprising the Wend- 
ling domain, being in the midst of a picturesque 
region of the Lusatian mountains in the south- 
ern part of Saxony. 

Count Robert Wendling was, at the time this 
story commences — about the year i860 — in the 
prime of life, possessing intellectual attainments 
of a high order, a prepossessing personal appear- 
ance and pleasing address, by reason of which he 
enjoyed great popularity. By virtue of his title 
he occupied a seat in the legislative body and 
was developing the highest qualities of states- 
manship. 

The Countess Lucretia, who was the daughter 
of a nobleman of a neighboring province, was a 
lovely and accomplished woman. She was a pro- 
nounced beauty and possessed a rare fascination 
of manner which rendered her a bright particular 
star in the social firmament. 

The count and countess had but two children, 
twin daughters, about four years old at the time 
at which this story begins. Dena was a bright, 
mischievous sprite, having an olive, pink-tinted 
complexion, black eyes and hair, full crimson lips 
and rounded oval cheeks. She was a miniature 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 5 

counterpart of her mother. Lena favored her 
father, having deep blue eyes, fair complexion 
and gold-tinted brown hair. She was more sedate 
and thoughtful than her sprightly sister. Both 
children were unusually bright and intelligent, 
and each had the most perfect beauty to be 
found in her respective type. Of course they 
were the idols of the household, including all the 
servants and tenants on the estate, and none 
could refrain from loving them. 

An early reply was received from Casper Vol- 
rath, gratefully accepting the overtures made by 
the count. The letter stated that the former and 
his boy would start for Wendling castle almost 
immediately. While Robert and Lucretia are 
awaiting their arrival, allow us to briefly review 
the career of Casper Volrath. 

Years before, Volrath had induced Ruth 
Wendling to elope with and marry him, the union 
being forbidden by the elder Wendling. They 
thereafter led a wandering life. In the course of 
years Volrath had squandered the greater part 
of his once ample fortune in gambling, dissipa- 
tion and extravagance. It had only taken a 
brief time for him to break the charm of the 
glamor he had thrown over his fair, sensitive 
young wife when he married her; and not many 
years elapsed until her health had failed under 
the strain his vicious life had placed upon her 
tender shoulders. Her happiness had been trans- 
formed to misery when he had let his real char- 
acter, his vile nature, gain the ascendancy over 
the polished and gentlemanly bearing which had 
.won her affections; and, poor woman, she had 


6 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

found, too late, she was married to a dissipated 
roue and gambler. This knowledge, and the hab- 
itual neglect and abuse with which he treated her 
undermined her health, and her death ensued, 
which last mentioned was a mercy, for she there- 
by escaped much impending misery. But Volrath 
was the only person who knew this; for the suf- 
ferer had borne her wrongs in silence. Volrath 
was careful to give out the impression that her 
demise had caused him untold agony and sorrow. 

His union with the count’s sister had resulted 
in giving them one child, a boy they had named 
Fritz, who was now about fifteen years old. This 
boy, raised under the tutelage of such a father, 
was, as might have been expected, “a chip of the 
old block he being precocious, cruel and vicious 
beyond his years. 

Volrath and his boy arrived at the castle, after 
a brief delay, and he forthwith played the part 
of a disconsolate, heart-broken widower, laying 
all the blame of his “business losses” to distract- 
ing grief over the early death of his “dearly be- 
loved wife.” His representations were, appar- 
ently, so sincere that the count and countess re- 
ceived him much more kindly than otherwise they 
would have done. The good impression, thus 
made, was carefully noted by the schemer and 
he determined to profit by it. 

Volrath at once entered upon his duties as 
steward of the estate. The business had been 
much neglected of late, and the count soon felt 
greatly gratified that he had secured such a good 
manager as Volrath immediately proved himself 
to be. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 7 

Volrath did his best, because he considered it 
good policy. Meanwhile he began planning and 
plotting to get the count and his two little girls 
out of the way, so that his son, Fritz, might in- 
herit the count’s title and vast wealth, as, with 
those three persons removed, Fritz would be the 
only heir. With this object in view the villain 
had accepted employment at the castle. From the 
first he was all deference, all hypocrisy, all dis- 
simulation. It was essential for him to gain the 
good will and confidence of his intended victims 
before trying to work his plot, upon which he 
brooded day and night. His scheme was far- 
reaching, for it not only included the killing of 
the count and his two little girls, but involved a 
purpose to eventually marry the countess, with 
whom he had already become' infatuated, al- 
though she did not suspect it. 

About half a year had elapsed and the affairs 
of the Wendling estate were very much improved 
by Volrath’s skillful handling of the business. 
By this time, too, he had improved his standing. 

The legislative body of which Count Wendling 
was a member, was about to assemble at Dres- 
den, and the countess decided to accompany her 
husband for a brief visit with friends and to do 
some shopping in the city Accordingly the car-' 
riage was ordered out, and the count, countess,’ 
Dena, Lena and Mary Schultz, the waiting maid, 
all being in readiness, entered it. ■ 

“Now, Casper,” said the count, “I expect to be 
away for some time, but my folks will return in 
three days. I hope you will not neglect them in 
any way because of business.” 4 


8 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“Rest assured, Count,” Volrath suavely an- 
swered, “I shall do all in my power to serve them. 
While attending to your business carefully, I 
shall also charge myself with the pleasant duty 
of seeing that they have every attention.” 

The count and countess respectively shook 
hands with him, and, after a cheery “good-bye,” 
the carriage rolled away. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 


9 


CHAPTER II. 

A CONSPIRACY. 

Casper Volrath stood with folded arms and 
watched the vehicle crossing the draw-bridge, as 
he murmured to himself : 

“She grows more maturely beautiful as she 
gets older. I think I have made some progress 
in her good graces, and with the coming oppor- 
tunity expect to deepen that good impression. If 
my plans do not miscarry, I expect to appear to 
her as a hero and her savior from a fate worse 
than death, in the trying hour I am now prepar- 
ing for her. I shall expect her to regard me as 
her best friend when her afflictions shall enable 
me to defend her. The love I feel for her ab- 
sorbs my whole soul, and nothing but its requital 
by her will appease my passion. THERE ARE 
OBSTACLES TO SURMOUNT, LIVES IN 
THE WAY. What do I care? They must be 
removed. All is fair in love and war, and I shall 
try what can be done by strategy, by cunning, 
and by playing upon the chances which fate has 
given me. Ah! how grand to see Fritz wearing, 
the honors of this ancient house, the owner of 
this vast estate, and I the husband of the lovely 
countess and the nominal master of the grand es- 


10 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


tablishment. Shrewdness and decisive work will 
bring it to pass. It shall be so, I swear it !” 

While the designing villain was thus soliloquiz- 
ing, a tall, muscular, dark-visaged man, clad in 
the costume of a mountaineer, emerged from a 
clump of bushes close at hand, and stepping up 
behind Volrath, slapped him on the shoulder, at 
the same time, in a deep bass voice, saying : “Plot- 
ting as usual, Fll be bound !” 

Volrath whirled about, cast a swift glance all 
around, and answered: 

“Why, Gus Monk, how you startled me! Yes, 
I am plotting, and the plot thickens !” 

By common consent, the two evident cronies 
walked off to a secluded spot in the grounds, out 
of the reach of eye witnesses and eavesdroppers, 
and seated themselves upon a rustic bench. 

“I overheard your parting interview, and think 
they have arranged their movements just to suit 
us.” 

“I think so, too ; we couldn’t find a better time. 
Now is the time to open the ball. ‘Nothing ven- 
ture, nothing have.’ ” 

“Yes, a good chance, and I’m with you, if 
we can agree on terms. It’s awfully risky, and 
’twill take a whole lot of money to induce me 
and my men to do the job. Since fickle fortune 
frowned so coldly upon us at the gaming tables 
of Monte Carlo, no such bonanza as this has 
shown up, and we’d better improve the oppor- 
tunity. As I told you yesterday, at the Moun- 
tain Inn, my band of brigands are bold, stalwart 
and as tenacious as bull-dogs. If you want us, 
we are ready. What is your plan?” 


The Mountai n Castle Mystery i i 

"Well,” replied Volrath, deliberately lighting 
a cigar, "when the countess returns from Dres- 
den, I want you and a few of your most trusted 
men to intercept the carriage at Red Pass, and 
capture the whole party. Remember, I don’t 
want a man in the gang but those you can 
trust implicitly, as this is the most delicate job 
we ever undertook. None will do who are liable 
to blunder, or make a mistake, or that are liable 
to 'squeal’ if caught. Drug the whole party. 
Have the two little girls carried down to the 
'Haunted Ruins’ on the bank of the river, where 
they are to be delivered to a man and his wife, 
who will at once start down the river on a house- 
boat, bound for America. That couple are 
greedy and secretive, and I have bribed them to 
carry off the children. Afterwards they are to 
drown the kids, at sea, in such a way as to seem 
an accident, for which I am to pay them a thou- 
sound dollars upon their sending me satisfac- 
tory proof of their death. So they will never be 
seen again here or elsewhere. The immigrants 
are not to know the identity of the kids. You 
must have one of your best men accompany 
them to Hamburg and help them aboard the 
outgoing steamer, so we may be sure they don’t 
give it away or fail to get off at once.” 

"Yes, I see. I have the very man for that 
part of the job; so that will be done all right.” 

"After you’ve chloroformed the party, drive 
them to the Giant’s Cave and have them inside, 
and at the proper time I will rush to the res- 
cue of the countess and valiantly fight your 
gang, single-handed, in her presence. We must 


12 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


make a display of our weapons, but you must 
instruct your men to fall back before my on- 
slaught, and after quite a struggle they must 
pretend to be vanquished and take to flight, in 
wild disorder, while I chase them from the cave. 

“I will then return to and liberate the countess 
and be accepted as her hero and rescuer, be- 
sides my action will ward off suspicion of my 
complicity in the scrape. I will then get them 
all into the carriage and drive them home. 

“The count will be notified. He will pursue 
you with a posse. Of course I will be with 
them. You must form an ambuscade among 
the rocks, beyond the inn, with your full force. 
Be sure to slay him and wound or kill a few 
others. Thus it will look like a popular up- 
rising, and not a personal affair. When I order 
a retreat, then get to a distance at once and go 
into hiding. 

“Now, Gus, you know the whole scheme; will 
you undertake the job?” 

“How much boodle are you prepared to put 
up?” 

“You shall have ten thousand dollars for your- 
self and one thousand dollars, each, for five of 
your best men. Of course, you know this money 
will have to be paid on the installment plan, as 
fast as I can raise it.” 

“I accept your terms, and will undertake the 
job. As for the pay, I know you can easily 
raise the money, one way or another, and I 
will see that you do it. It won’t do to work 
any "can’t pay’ rackets on me.” 

The two villains shook hands and parted. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 13 

Monk starting up a mountain canyon, while 
Volrath saddled a horse, mounted, and rode 
away down the river road. 

Half an hour later he alighted at the “Haunted 
Ruins,” before mentioned. A small house-boat, 
such as fishermen use on the river was tied to 
a tree on the bank. Directly a middle-aged man 
and woman came out of the old ruins and joined 
him. Volrath shook hands with them and all en- 
gaged in conversation, in which he explained 
to them that three days hence the two children 
would be brought to them, with a good man to 
go along, who would help them get their goods 
aboard the American-bound steamer. The others 
seemed satisfied, and assured him they would be 
ready to start as soon as the children arrived. 
He gave them some money and rode away. 

A happy, satisfied, evil smile played upon his 
lips, as he rode along the river road on his re- 
turn to the castle. 

There was no struggle with his conscience, 
for that poor, outraged God-given monitor had 
long since been strangled in an evil life. There 
was only a cool calculation of the chances for 
and against himself in this plot, that exercised 
his mind. There was no thought of the great 
trouble, the long sorrow, the deep anguish which 
his accursed plot would bring upon one of the 
noblest families in Saxony, to disturb this vil- 
lain’s mind as he rode along. 

There was only a feeling of exultation in 
his heart. His sordid, mercenary plans were 
about to be consummated, and he felt that he 
was once more on the high road to success. He 


14 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

mentally saw his son, Fritz, the proud possessor 
of the Wendling millions, wearing the insignia 
and bearing the titles which had graced the 
name of the distinguished and honorable family 
for a thousand years. Then he saw, or seemed 
to see, himself, the practical head of all this 
greatness; and he seemed to hear his boon com- 
panions, in the flashy resorts of Monte Carlo, 
extolling his high merits and telling of the 
glories he was enjoying. He could almost feel 
the gold pieces which he would soon be ex- 
pending with a lavish hand. He smacked his 
lips as he thought of the grand dinners which 
he would soon be giving to a chosen few of 
his friends in all the great capitals of Europe. 
Then he thought of the countess, and his heart 
leaped as he imagined he would soon win her 
confidence by his heroism ( ?) in her defense. 
He wondered how long it would take him, after 
her husband had been “removed,” to win his 
way to her heart and have her throw her lovely 
arms around his neck and say she would marry 
him. 

Such was the day-dream which filled this vil- 
lain’s mind as he rode slowly along homeward. 
And now, let this narrative give the details of 
how this plot was carried out and the results 
of it. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


15 


CHAPTER III. 

THE capture in red pass. 

In the mean time the count and family had 
proceeded to Dresden, where they had spent a 
couple of days in the bright gayeties of the 
city, among select friends ; improved the oppor- 
tunity to do some shopping, visited the opera 
of evenings where a famous prima donna was 
performing, and had been present at a ban- 
quet given in their honor by some of the elite 
of the capital. 

As they were passing the magnificent show- 
window of an attractive jewelry store, they in- 
voluntarily paused to glance at the elegant dis- 
play of fine goods. 

“Oh, mamma!” exclaimed Dena, with child- 
ish glee, “just see those lovely necklaces, with 
the cutest little lockets to them. Aren’t they 
sweet? Please buy me one!” 

“Me, too,” chimed in Lena, with animation. 

“That reminds me, Robert,” remarked the 
countess, “that I had intended to procure for 
each of the girls, a necklace with a locket at- 
tached containing our pictures, and should have 
forgotten it but for this reminder. These ap- 
pear to be just what I want, only they seem a 
trifle too large for such small children, yet 


1 6 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

the girls will grow to them ere long. Let us 
enter and purchase them/' 

“All right, Lucretia,” he replied, well pleased 
with the idea, as they entered the store, the 
children dancing around them with delight. In 
a short time the girls were wearing two of the 
most beautiful necklaces and lockets, from the 
jeweler’s stock, with tiny pictures of their 
father and mother inserted in each of the lock- 
ets, and the children’s names engraved on the 
back covers. The lockets were diamond en- 
crusted, of the most tasteful shape and ex- 
quisite workmanship. The mother snapped 
them around the necks of her darlings, with a 
kiss, and with the injunction that they must 
keep them all their lives; but she little thought 
that those trinkets were destined to play an 
important part in her life. They then proceeded 
to their hotel, where the evening was pleasantly 
passed in the seclusion of their elegant apart- 
ments. It was a delightful evening for them, 
for, on the morrow they were to part for a 
time. In their felicity, they had no premoni- 
tion of the fearful shadow so soon to lower 
over their pathway. 

At an early hour, the following morning, the 
count gallantly and lovingly handed his wife 
and children into their carriage, where he kissed 
them good-bye, then shook hands with his faith- 
ful coachman, bowed adieu to the waiting maid 
and watched them move away, while the little 
girls leaned out of the windows to throw him 
a parting kiss. 

About the middle of the afternoon, having 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 17 

traveled rapidly along a smooth road, on the 
bank of the Elbe, through enchanting scenery, 
their course diverged from the river and entered 
the mountains. Long and tortuous ascents were 
succeeded by equally arduous and dilatory 
descents; anon winding around the mountain’s 
craggy brow, or cautiously moving along the 
rim of a dizzy precipice, until the travelers en- 
tered a dark, yawning and narrow defile known 
as Red Pass. 

“I declare, Mary Schultz,” exclaimed the 
countess, shuddering, “this is the gloomiest 
place I ever saw; and 1 never go through it 
without dismal trepidation, and whenever I enter 
its gloomy shadows I am oppressed with dire 
forebodings of lurking danger.” 

The girl was about to reply, when the occu- 
pants of the carriage were fairly frozen with 
horror, by hearing a stentorian voice in front of 
them peremptorily issue out this command to 
the coachman : 

“Halt! Drop them lines and hold up your 
hands!” 

This portentious mandate was enforced by 
the death-dealing muzzles of several large re- 
volvers which were staring the startled coach- 
man in the face. The latter obeyed the order 
with alacrity. The carriage came to a sudden 
stop, while one of Gus Monk’s bandits seized 
the bits of the horses and another compelled the 
coachman to alight. Others formed around the 
carriage. They were all large, active men, with 
bronzed faces, covered with heavy beards, which 
gave them a fierce aspect. Their mountaineer 


18 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

dress added greatly to the effect; and it was no 
wonder that they frightened the coachman, who 
as soon as he reached the ground, stammered : 

“If m — money’s w — what you w — want, you 
c — can ha — have all I — I’ve g — got!” 

“Then hand it out here and be quick about 
it,” replied one of the men, as he pocketed the 
purse which the coachman produced, adding: 
“but money’s not the main object of this here 
expedition.” 

Then the coachman was quickly bound and 
laid upon the ground, and, presently, chloroform 
was applied to his nostrils, and he knew no 
more of the exciting scenes transpiring around 
him. 

They next proceeded to treat the women and 
children to the same kind of doses, and, speedily, 
all of them were in a deep, unconscious sleep. 

The two little girls were borne swiftly away 
in the arms of two of the swarthy outlaws, who 
took a path which led toward the Haunted 
Ruins. 

Monk now entered the carriage and the driver 
was put inside with him, while Burk and the 
other outlaws took the driver’s seat, and the 
rig was driven rapidly away. 

The route to the Giant’s Cave was an unfre- 
quented road which ran through a heavy forest. 
The ground was uneven, and, to avoid arousing 
the prisoners, by the continual jolting which oc- 
curred, Monk frequently applied his saturated 
handkerchief to their nostrils, which kept them 
quiet for the remainder of the trip, and longer. 

At length the cave was reached, the team 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 19 

hitched to a tree and the unconscious prisoners 
carried inside and deposited in recumbent posi- 
tions at the further side ; and, returning to 
near the entrance, they brought from a niche in 
the rocky wall, some liquor and provisions. 
After imbibing freely of the liquor they pro- 
ceeded to devour the victuals. 

Directly, they were joined by one of the ban- 
dits who had carried off the children. They 
had been talking in guarded tones about the 
nefarious work in which they were enngaged, 
when Monk turned to the returned outlaw and 
asked : 

“How about the kids, Bill? Did you deliver 
them all right?” 

“We did,” the latter answered, furtively glanc- 
ing at the motionless figures of the captives. 
“They gave us no trouble, and we reached the 
Haunted Ruins just as the immigrants had got 
the last of their chattels aboard the house-boat. 
They stripped the kids of all their finery, and 
packed it away in a box; then they togged them 
out in rough, common garments and wooden 
shoes; after which they cropped off their ring- 
lets, stained their faces, necks and hands with 
some brown liquid which made them look 
swarthy. The way they look now, their own 
mother wouldn’t know them. Blamed if I 
didn’t think they were other than the ones we 
took there, when I seed them in their disguise. 
The immigrants don’t know whose kids they are, 
and don’t seem to care. They pulled out into 
the current before I left. They ought to be 
safely on the outward-bound steamer sometime 


20 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

next week, and you bet, Tom will see that they 
are. You’ll never hear from them again, alive, 
after Tom leaves them on that steamer.” 

The outlaws had by this time concluded their 
meal and went back to look after the prisoners. 
The latter had recovered consciousness, and 
manifested some alarm as the men approached 
them. The coachman stammered worse than 
before, as he pleaded for his release. The men 
smiled, grimly, in amused scorn. The waiting 
maid flew into a hysterical fit, when she found 
herself surrounded by these fierce-looking men, 
who smiled at her state of excitement. The 
countess acted more rational than her maid, 
although but little less agitated. With copious 
tears coursing down her face, she exclaimed: 

“Oh, sir, whoever you are, tell me why you 
have seized and brought us to this dismal place ! 
What have you done with my darling little 
children? They are not here. In Heaven’s 
name, what have you done with them? Tell me, 
I implore you !” 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 


21 


CHAPTER IV. 

THE BROKEN HOME. 

Monk stood and looked at the beautiful 
woman, stolidly, with his arms folded across 
his breast; while his demeanor toward her gave 
her no idea of what was passing in his mind. 

He was really thinking about the probability 
that, if everything went as they planned, this 
woman would, sooner or later, become the wife 
of his partner, Volrath; and he could not avoid 
shuddering for the lovely,' sorrowing lady who 
would so soon be rendered a widow, and child- 
less, through his own agency. However, these 
better thoughts lasted but a minute, and then he 
felt like congratulating Volrath upon his pros- 
pect of securing such a lovely wife. Yet, his 
tones were very suave, as he answered the 
countess, bowing obsequiously to her, as he said : 

“I am sorry to be obliged to inform you, that 
we have taken you and your servants prisoners, 
for reasons of our own, which we do not care 
to explain to you. We have given your children 
to a party of roving Gpysies, because we could 
not use them in our plans at present; but, I can 
assure you, the children will be cared for. They 
will not be injured, unless you attempt to rescue 
them, in which case the Gypsies would kill them. 


22 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

By this time the children are so well disguised 
that you would not know them. I would advise 
you to quietly give them up and make up your 
mind to a permanent separation ; for, in all proba- 
bility, you will never see them again whether 
you seek them or not. This is all the informa- 
tion I can give you.” 

“Merciful Heavens!” exclaimed the countess, 
“how can you be so cruel? If you will only re- 
store my children to me I will see that you are 
handsomely rewarded, and will bless you all the 
rest of my life !” 

“Dry your tears, lady, for what you ask is 
impossible.” 

“Do not tell me it is impossible to restore my 
liberty to me and return my children to their 
mother’s arms! I will not believe the tale. It 
is too horrible for credence. I know you and 
your men have committed this outrage for money, 
for that is all that will move an outlaw’s heart. 
No doubt, you seek and expect a heavy ransom. 
If so, name your price. Do what I ask of you, 
and you shall be rewarded and have immunity 
for this great outrage.” 

“Your offers of money are as useless as your 
tears. Pray cease. You and your children shall 
be made to suffer for the political sins of the 
count, you husband and their father. We are 
the avengers of the poor, whom your titled hus- 
band has helped to defraud of their rights. The 
poor mountain buccaneer will teach the haughty 
count that he and the ruling class have gone too 
far in their laws against the helpless poor, and 
made many of them outcasts. You have queened 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 23 

it over his castle long enough. I shall make you 
the slave of my tent. It shall be your duty here- 
after to see that my meals are well cooked, that 
my blankets are well aired and that I am kept 
in good humor with my surroundings generally. 
When I am weary, it shall be your duty to soothe 
me with sweet kisses and tender affection. As 
long as you do my bidding, you shall be made 
as happy as possible, but, remember, I will not 
have any tears and sighs around me.” 

Monk had carefully prepared this speech, in 
accordance with the instructions of Volrath, who 
desired to have impressed upon the mind of the 
countess, the inestimable service he was about to 
render her. The bandit spoke curtly and em- 
phatically, evincing to the trembling woman, very 
planly, that she was absolutely in his power, but 
he was little prepared for the answer she gave 
him. 

“Do you think you could force me to give you 
one unwilling caress ?” she . defiantly retorted. 
“Do you forget that you are uttering this 
unspeakable insolence to Countess Lucretia 
Wendling, the daughter of Rudolph Onderorf 
in whose veins the blood of kings is running? 
Weak woman that I am, I scorn and defy you! 
Any man who could contemplate .such a thing 
is a cowardly poltroon, and, away from his gang 
of merciless cut-throats, would be afraid to dis- 
pute a point with a boy !” 

The fire seemed to be flashing from her beauti-. 
ful eyes, as she vehemently uttered these burn- 
ing words. Monk and his bandits involuntarily 
fell back a few steps in dismay. She took a 


24 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

step or two forward, and continued : “You for- 
get that all Saxony will be ringing with this 
outrage to-morrow, and that the man (?) who 
so boldly insults a defenseless woman to-day, 
may be in a felon's cell within twenty-four hours ! 
You say that you are defending the rights of 
the poor, and that my husband has been an aider 
and abetter in their wrongs; but, I tell you, 
monster, there are a thousand tenants on my 
husband’s estate who will give their lives in de- 
fense of the mistress who has been their best 
and kindest friend. Yea, more, for every one 
of them would willingly die in the defense of the 
man whom they have always known as the most 
humane of landlords; one whose ears and heart 
have never been closed to their many appeals ! 
Of a house which has ever been an embodiment 
of honor, for many generations, during which 
time no stain has ever smirched its noble es- 
cutcheon! Think you, that your crime-stained 
gang can wantonly insult me, without having to 
answer for it in a court, which will deal out 
swift punishment for the crime? Can you feloni- 
ously abduct my children, thus, without having 
to answer to my husband and the majesty of the 
law for the outrage?” 

“Countess, cease this tirade,” rejoined Monk, 
in cold, rasping accents, a dark ominous scowl 
distorting his features, indicative of but partially 
suppressed inward rage, as he boldly advanced 
to the indignant and courageous woman. “Think 
you, that you can move hearts of adamant, by 
your entreaties or threats? If so, I deny it. 1 
admit that nothing but gold will move the heart 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 25 

of an outlaw; but, then, vou have it not here, 
and we care not to let you attempt to send for it, 
because it would be a signal for an up-rising of 
your friends to try to effect your rescue, and 
we would thus be compelled to slay them for 
our own safety, which we would avoid. If all 
your timid servants and friends should attack 
us, they could not rescue you from our hands. 
At a single whistle, I could almost instantly pro- 
duce my entire band, composed of men as stal- 
wart and reckless as these. We know nothing 
of fear. We care nothing for grief. We prefer 
not to slaughter your friends and retainers, but 
we would shoot every man in the valley before 
we would allow them to recapture you. I would 
prefer to have you submit to my demands 
willingly; but if you do not, then I shall use 
force. Come, now Madam, be reasonable, and 
give me a kiss in token of your new allegiance 
to me and my cause.” And the villain deliber- 
ately laid his arm around the waist of the help- 
less, pinioned woman. 

But Monk was again treated to a seemingly 
great surprise ; for at this instant Volrath rushed 
into the cave, shouting in stentorian tones: 

“Death to every foe of the Wendlings!” 

That challenge brought hope to the captives, 
and well simulated surprise to the group of out- 
laws. 

“It is Volrath, here to try to rescue the pris- 
oners,” declared Monk, in apparent alarm; “go 
for him, boys, make him a prisoner or kill him ; 
don’t let him escape!” 

Away went Monk and his men to battle with 


26 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

this pretended interloper, hastily drawing their 
weapons as they went. 

Apparently intrepid and resolute, Volrath 
awaited the onset, with a long, gleaming knife 
in one hand and a navy revolver in the other. 

Now, they surround him, and the fire flies 
from the clashing blades, and the loud report of 
firearms resounds through the cave and re-echoes 
back from its inner chambers. 

But one against so many is apparently a for- 
lorn hope. Yet, he maintains himself, striking 
right and left with his knife, shooting here and 
there. One or two haye fallen, others limp, and 
all are slowly giving way before him. The pris- 
oners think he must have a charmed life, to main- 
tain such an unequal combat. 

Yes, he is pushing them to the wall. His steel 
flashes and his revolver roars. 

“How I hope Casper will overthrow them,” 
the countess said. 

“He will, he will,” the maid cried, with enthu- 
siasm, “for he is a hero ! See ! The bandits are 
flying out of the cave, taking their dead and 
dying with them. God bless Casper, he has saved 
all our lives and I love him with all my heart!” 

With haste, Volrath strides toward the pris- 
oners, intending to release the countess first of 
all, and have the supreme felicity of hearing 
praise of his prowess and her grateful thanks, 
when the waiting maid steps into his path to 
have him cut the thongs from her wrists. A 
trifle annoyed, he releases her, when, before he 
can proceed, she throws herself upon his bosom, 
wildly flings her arms about his neck and kisses 


i The Mountain Castle Mystery 27 

him repeatedly upon his unwilling lips, with 
words of praise and endearment. 

A muttered imprecation escapes him, for in 
his mind he had pictured the countess doing 
nearly as the maid had done, and he frees him- 
self from the girl’s undesirable embraces, and 
then at last frees the countess. 

She thanks him formallly and politely, but not 
with the gushing effusiveness exhibited by her 
maid. 

He next liberates the coachman, who is voluble 
in applauding Volrath’s heroism. In fact, all 
three ex-prisoners sincerely accord him great 
credit for his signal and phenominal victory as 
against such great odds, not in the least suspect- 
ing that the terrible conflict which they had wit- 
nessed was nothing but a preconcerted sham 
battle. 

“The bandits have stolen away my two little 
girls, Casper, can nothing be done toward res- 
cuing them?” the countess asked. 

“Nothing, now, I fear, dear lady,” he answered, 
“but we must leave here at once, ere the brigands 
return with re-in for cements and attack us. When 
we safely reach the castle we can deliberate upon 
the subject, but we must start instantly.” 

The party hastily entered the carriage; Vol- 
rath took the lines and drove rapidly homeward, 
frequently glancing backward over his shoul- 
der as if to impress his passengers that he feared 
pursuit. 

Arrived at the castle, as the countess and her 
maid were entering the hall, the former turned, 
and addressing Volrath, said : Casper, you have 


28 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

earned our everlasting gratitude for your gallant 
conduct in our behalf. You can augment that 
obligation by an effort to recover the stolen chil- 
dren. Your services in this cause will be appre- 
ciated and adequately rewarded. Now you must 
dispatch this sad news to my husband forthwith; 
also it is best to summon as many of the tenants 
as possible to be ready to start in pursuit of the 
outlaws as soon as my husband returns.” 

“Don’t mention my little service, countess, but 
measure my devotion to your cause by my fu- 
ture actions. Give any orders you may and you 
will find me ready to die in an effort to execute 
them,” replied the wiley rascal, as he made one 
of his most polished bows and passed on. 

Next morning, the count, with Volrath at his 
side, and at the head of quite a large body of 
armed men, started in pursuit of the bandits, to 
try to capture or kill the outlaws and recover the 
abducted children. 

Volrath, in the capacity of guide, led them to 
the Giant’s Cave, from whence they followed the 
trail of the bandits across the mountains. The 
latter had not attempted to conceal their trail 
which was easily followed. 

Mile after mile of mountain paths were trav- 
ersed, in many places the path being so narrow 
that they had to march in single file. 

After a long and tiresome march, they reached 
the place where Monk had agreed to have his 
men in ambush, at which wa6 a steep mountain 
side, seamed with deep defiles, towering cliffs and 
deep, dark chasms. The passage here was both 
narrow and difficult. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery * 2g 

Volrath, knowing that this was the point of 
attack agreed upon, left the count at the head of 
the column and fell back to the rear, on some 
pretext. 

Suddenly a volley of musketry was poured into 
the ranks of the advancing column, from con- 
cealed marksmen, in near proximity, the loud 
report of the firing resounding and re-echoing, 
among the crags and canyons, while the dense 
smoke of the volley enveloped the scene. 

The count’s men, as soon as they recovered 
from their astonishment, fired their guns in every 
direction, in a desultory manner ; but, as the 
enemy was invisible, the discharge had no other 
effect than to accelerate the departure of the ban- 
dits from the vicinity. 

It was soon found that about fifteen of the 
pursuers had been more or less severely wounded, 
and four men missing, the count included, after 
Volrath had ordered a retreat to a safe distance 
in the rear. Volrath then ordered a reconnoiter- 
ing party to advance, to recover the missing men. 
No more firing occurred, and before long the 
detachment returned bringing three dead men 
who were identified, but the count had not been 
f nimd, although a thorough search had been 
made. 

It was the general opinon that the count had 
been shot and had fallen down a giddy preci- 
pice that verged upon the path where he was 
last seen. At that point was an abyss a thou- 
sand feet deep and its interior too inaccessible 
to admit of being searched for his body. 

The undoubted death of the count fairly 


30 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

paralyzed the entire party, excepting Volrath, 
who was filled with exultation, but managed to 
conceal his joy, in hypocritical lamentations and 
crocodile tears. The men were grief-stricken at 
the count’s taking off, for they had held him in 
high esteem and veneration. 

Upon investigating the scene of the calamity, 
it was found that the bandits had deserted their 
camp and gone. 

A few of the men favored immediate pursuit 
of the outlaws, but the majority were so sadly 
demoralized by the loss of their leader, that they 
insisted upon returning to the castle, therefore 
the whole party returned home, taking their dead 
with them. 

The countess was inconsolable over her re- 
peated losses. At one fell swoop, her happy 
family had been destroyed and scattered. There- 
fore it? was no wonder that the poor woman 
grieved so deeply. 

And during these hours of her dire distress 
and anguish, the vile wretch who had brought 
all this trouble upon her was constantly in at- 
tendance upon her slightest wish. He affected 
to have great solicitude for her welfare and pre- 
tended to be grief-stricken. 

Later, another expedition went over the moun- 
tains in pursuit of the bandits, but the latter were 
not overtaken nor the count's body recovered. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 


3i 


CHAPTER V. 

A LOST IDENTITY. 

Although the mountains were patrolled for 
many days by large bodies of men, the bandits 
were not encountered, nor any of them cap- 
tured. The latter had made it a point to reach 
a place of safety the first night after their attack 
upon their pursuers; and, by stealthy and rapid 
marches, by detachments, afterwards, had evi- 
dently reached a secure retreat in the Errzgebirge 
mountains in northern Bohemia, here, for a time, 
they remained in hiding and to which place they 
were not traced. 

All the Gypsy camps round about, had been 
overhauled, but, of course, without discovering 
the lost children. 

Men had been let down by ropes into the deep 
abyss, heretofore mentioned to recover the body 
of the count, that they might convey it to the 
castle for decent interment. At the bottom, 
among the broken rocks, the body of a man, 
mangled and disfigured past recognition was 
found, which, by common consent, was believed 
to be that of the count, as no other person was 
missing from the vicinity. The body was re- 
covered, taken back to the castle and buried with 
imposing ceremonies. 


3 2 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

Yet, as a matter of fact, the body recovered 
was not that of the count, but of an adventurous 
traveler whom Monk had, during the time he 
was in that vicinity, waylaid, robbed and mur- 
dered. To conceal the crime, he had thrown the 
body into the abyss. 

But what of Count Wendling? 

It is a well-known principle and fact that 
rogues do not trust each other, excepting in such 
cases as where the self-interest of that other 
would induce to keeping faith, or a fear of be- 
trayal by the other, would govern him. Monk 
knew that Volrath was dishonest and treacher- 
ous; hence he distrusted him. He was aware 
that Volrath was playing for a high stake and 
was so trimming his sails as to get the lion’s 
share of the result of the conspiracy between 
them, to enjoy an immunity from suspicion or 
exposure, while he himself would get but a 
meagre share and encounter nearly all the risk. 
He even reflected that, in all probability, Vol- 
rath would eventually figure to avoid the pay-' 
ment of a large part of the reward he had prom- 
ised. The more Monk thought of it, the more 
suspicious he became. 

He, therefore, decided to take the count pris- 
oner, instead of killing him, and hold the latter 
in captivity within his band, until Volrath had 
paid the last dollar due by the infamous com- 
pact between them, and then work the countess 
for ransom in consideration of her husband’s 
being safely returned to her. He was congratu- 
lated by his fellows upon the shrewdness of his 
scheme, and they seemed to like the idea of 


i TheMountain Castle Mystery 33 

having the “stuck-up” Volrath beat in that man- 
ner at his own game. In their minds, they pic- 
tured the discomfiture of the usurper when the 
count would return and oust him from his ill- 
gotten possessions. 

It had been understood between the conspira- 
tors that, when the count’s force had reached the 
ambuscade the count was to be left alone at the 
front when the attack was to occur. The guns 
of both parties had been fired, the count pur- 
posely spared, while the three men immediately 
behind him were killed, and a dense smoke en- 
veloped the scene. Then, half a dozen brigands 
sprang from behind a rock with the purpose of 
taking the count alive. They surrounded him, 
and, as he was raising his revolver to shoot one 
of them, another struck him on the head with the 
butt of his revolver which felled him to the 
ground. 

The bandits then seized and hurried him away, 
without attracting the attention of any of his 
men. At a safe distance, his captors paused 
long enough to construct a rude litter, upon which 
they carried him, until, near night- fall, they had 
reached an immense cavern where they intended 
to encamp for the night. 

One of the outlaws had some knowledge of 
surgery, and he diagnosed the count’s case, find- 
ing that the latter had sustained a fracture of 
the skull. He reduced the fracture as well as he 
could with his imperfect knowledge and few de- 
fective instruments, and finally succeeded in 
restoring him to consciousness. 

But a peculiar phase attended his recovery, 


34 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

that of a total loss of memory of everything- in 
his life. His mind was in a chaotic condition, 
under a cloud, as it were. His mental faculties 
were inert. His thoughts were confused, and he 
was enabled to concentrate his mind but imper- 
fectly upon any subject. True, he had occa- 
sional lucid intervals, in which his mind attained 
a normal condition, excepting that his memory 
of events, dates, names, persons and places was 
an utter blank. He did not realize who or what 
he was or his name. His fluency of language 
was gone and he expressed himself very im- 
perfectly, and with difficulty. He was greatly 
perplexed, as he vainly endeavored to recall mat- 
ters. His mental faculties were not at his com- 
mand. 

Monk was not long in learning the count’s 
condition, for the latter, hearing him mention 
the name of Volrath, asked: “Who is Volrath? 
I do not know any one of that name.” So he 
plied him with questions, to test the matter, and 
was convinced that the count’s mind was fear- 
fully clouded. This afforded the outlaw gratifi- 
cation, for he realized that his future handling 
of his prisoner would be greatly simplified. This 
rascal began speculating about the gains he would 
be able to extort from Volrath, the countess, and 
the count, himself — a literal gold mine, as it 
were. 

Next morning it was arranged that the gang 
was to divide up into small parties, and go by 
different routes to Bohemia. 

The “doctor” protested that the count was unfit 
to be moved or to travel, as he was threatened 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 35 

with brain fever, so Monk detailed the quack 
and two others to remain with, care for, and 
guard the count until he should have sufficiently 
recovered as to be able to make the journey. So 
they broke camp and departed. 

The count’s condition became quite critical, as 
a raging fever supervened, which continued sev- 
eral days. This finally subsided, leaving him 
far too weak to travel. Thus a further delay 
was inevitable. He had commenced to gain rap- 
idly, however, but knowing their intention to 
take him to Bohemia with them, he preteneded 
to be more feeble than he really was, in order 
to delay them, and gain time, in which he might 
find an opportunity to escape. 

They were delayed so long that their stock 
of provisions had become exhausted, and the 
“doctor” sent his two assistant guardsmen out 
to hunt for game. The two had started up a 
canyon with their guns on their shoulders, and 
the “doctor” returned to the cave to guard the 
prisoner in their absence. 

The count feigned sleep, and the “doctor” 
produced a bottle of brandy and took a drink. 
Presently he repeated the dose. Then he walked 
around the cave, and took another drink. Pie 
went to the front entrance and mused on the 
beauties of mountain scenery, then he re-entered 
and imbibed again. By this time he had become 
decidedly drunk and could hardly stand, so he 
sat down on the ground, and a minute later was 
reclining at full length, in a deep sleep or drunken 
stupor. 

The count arose from his blankets, stealthily 


36 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

secured the drunken outlaw’s revolver, took a 
drink from the nearly empty bottle, to brace 
himself up, glanced cautiously around outside, 
and, finding the coast clear, silently departed, 
going down the mountain side, by a path lead- 
ing to a valley several miles distant, barely 
discernable through the trees. 

He proceeded cautiously, carrying the re- 
volver in his hand, ready for instant use in case 
of emergency. But he did not meet any one by 
the way, and after an hour’s walk safely reached 
the base of the mountain. Feeling weary and 
thirsty, he paused by a gushing spring, which 
issued from beneath a mossy bank, shaded by a 
spreading tree, quenched his thirst and reclined 
on the bank to rest. While lying there, quietly 
looking up through the leafy foliage at the flitting 
clouds beyond and listening to the musical notes 
of the feathered songsters of the forest, he 
soliloquized : 

“What is this mystery? Who and what am 
I? I have thought and reasoned without avail, 
for I do not know my name, nor can I recall 
an iota of the past. About the present: The 
band of ruffians with whom I found myself are 
bandits; the wound upon my head was made by 
them when they captured me. Their words and 
actions prove that they are flying from pursuers, 
and that they want to hold me as a hostage or 
for ransom. If the latter, then I must have 
wealthy friends or that I, myself, am wealthy; 
otherwise they wouldn’t care to prolong my life. 
One thing is evident, I am worth more to them 
alive than dead, else they would have killed me 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 37 

outright. As soon as I am missed by them I 
will be sought for far and wide ; so I must make 
haste to get to a distance from their haunts. 
Tf I had any money or valuables about me when 
captured, these outlaws have relieved me of them; 
for, I find my pockets are empty/’ 

The count arose, carefully searched his pock- 
ets, and then resumed: “Just as I suspected. 
If I had anything in my pockets when captured, 
it has been stolen from me. Yet, stay — what is 
this ? ” 

While moving his hands around his person, 
he felt something in the region of his breast; 
and upon unbottoning his vest and exploring an 
inner pocket, he nervously withdrew a large 
morocco bill-book, which when opened displayed 
a package of Berlin bank bills, of large denomina- 
tion, aggregating $10,000 in amount, together 
with a neatly printed card with a name and ad- 
dress, as follows: “Ferdinand Winters, Em- 
poria, 111 .” 

Of course, he could not account for the money 
or the card; but he at once jumped to the con- 
clusion that, the name must be his own, and the 
address his place of residence. That, he had 
returned to Germany, as a tourist, and was ex- 
ploring the Lusatian mountains at the time of 
his capture by the banditti. This was the only 
explanation he could conceive of his strange 
situation. Having reached this conclusion, he 
determined to make his way to America, as 
speedily as possible, where, amid what he sup- 
posed would prove familiar scenes, he trusted 
he would gradually recover his memory of the 


38 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

past. As he could speak German and English, 
both, he felt sure that he had migrated to the 
United States, from Germany, in his youth, and 
had recently returned to the Fatherland on a 
visit. 

At this point, we will explain how the count 
happened to have the card and the roll of bills 
which he found in his pocket book. 

On the morning of the day on which he was 
summoned home, at the office of a business man 
in Dresden, he met and was introduced to a 
stranger, from America, named Winters, who 
was then “doing” Germany as a tourist. Win- 
ters was a native of Germany, but had been in 
the United States several years, having been a 
resident of Chicago, 111., but was then making 
a visit, for pleasure and business, to his native 
country. Upon parting, Mr. Winters had given 
the count his card which the latter had placed 
in his bill-book. The count received the money, 
in Berlin bank notes, from the business man who 
had introduced him to Mr. Winters. He placed 
the money in the bill -book with the card, and 
purposed depositing the money in the bank, but 
upon receiving such exciting news from home, 
immediately afterwards, he forgot about visiting 
the bank, and thus retained the money. 

But, of course, no recollection of these inci- 
dents recurred to the perplexed mind of the 
count, as he replaced the bill-book in his inner 
pocket and resumed his tramp. 

When he reached the valley, he struck a well- 
defined wagon road which diverged from the 
mountains and led eastwardly, following which. 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 39 

after plodding along about half of the night, he 
reached a small railway station. The train for 
Berlin soon after came along, and with an in- 
finite sense of relief, he boarded it and was 
swiftly whirled away to the Prussian capital. 
Thence he proceeded by rail to Hamburg, and, 
after a brief wait, took passage on a steamer 
for New York, and from there, traveled west- 
ward to Emporia, the place which he fancied was 
his home. 

Here we leave him, for a time, and turn our 
attention to some of the other characters of o*ir 
story. 


40 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER VI. 

A LOST CAUSE. 

The bereavement of the countess was sad and 
overwhelming. Her life had been an ideal one, 
in which happiness, serene contentment and re- 
fined enjoyment were the sweet perennial flow- 
ers that gladdened, her pathway. 

No somber clouds of sorrow had ever dark- 
ened her bright horizon. 

But now, for the first time in all her happy 
life, she knew what desolation really meant. The 
sun of her existence appeared to have passed be- 
hind a cloud, while the sable vestment of gloom 
seemed to sadly tinge every object she saw. In 
trying to penetrate the veil of the future, she 
recoiled and felt unable to cope with the gloom 
of her existence. She could not refrain from 
feeling that, thenceforth, her life must be bleak 
and purposeless, since all her powers of enjoy- 
ment had been wrested from her heart by the 
cruel hand of bereavement. There were tides 
of bitter agonizing waves of woe dashing over 
her; weeks of sleepless nights and joyless days; 
every thought, one of sorrow and despair, every 
utterance, one of bitter lamentation. 

Then came a period of tears, in which the pent 
up soul was vouchsafed surcease of sorrow in 


T heMountain Castle Mystery 41 


the relief which comes from weeping. Tears are 
jewels from the inner deep. They come, as a 
benediction, to soothe the tortured soul. Not 
unlike a shower in the midst of a drought, which 
cools the parched earth, refreshes the withering 
flowers, grass and trees, and gives them a new 
tenure of life. Thus it was with the countess. 
Tears afforded her much relief and hope sprang 
up, in her consciousness, and promised that, some 
day, near or far, her darling children should be 
restored to her arms. In this hope she seemed to 
take a new lease of life; and, gradually, her mind 
resumed its normal tone and her physical health 
returned to her. 

No suspicion that the count had not met the 
fate universally believed to have overtaken him, 
or that those were not his mortal remains which 
has been consigned to the tomb, ever occurred 
to her mind ; but, that her children were alive and 
their future recovery a possibility was her stead- 
fast conviction. She, therefore, resolved to con- 
consecrate her life and fortune to the purpose of 
regaining them. 

The sudden attachment which had sprung up 
in the heart of Mary Schultz for Casper Volrath, 
on the day that she believed he had saved her 
life, increased both in quantity and quality, until 
it absorbed the heart, soul and existence of the 
impulsive girl. While Volrath would not have 
objected to a flirtation, on the side, with the wait- 
ing maid, for she was decidedly attractive in 
person and winning in manner, still, he was 
angling for larger fish, now, and was puzzled to 
determine what course to pursue in regard to the 


42 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

smitten girl. He feared that, if the affair should 
come to the knowledge of the countess, it would 
compromise him in her estimation, and that it 
would complicate or retard his suit for her hand 
and fortune. On the contrary, he needed the 
girl’s unconscious aid, as a go-between, to post 
him about the tastes, predilections, opinions and 
peculiarities of the countess. Also to learn from 
the girl what the lady might inadvertently reveal 
to her of the latter’s impressions of and feelings 
toward himself, so he could estimate what prog- 
ress he was making in his wooing. For this 
reason, he decided to carry on a clandestine court- 
ship with Mary Schultz. 

He insisted that the girl should observe the 
strictest reticence in the matter, divulging noth- 
ing of what existed between them to others, and 
that in the presence of others, to treat himself 
with indifference and coolness. In this way he 
figured to conceal from the countess all signs of 
the passion the girl entertained for him. Never- 
theless, Mary, in the presence of her mistress 
unconsciously revealed to her what she most 
desired to suppress, for she was continually sing- 
ing his praises. He was her idol, her God among 
men, her ideal, and she disclosed, unconsciously, 
what she strove to conceal. 

The infatuated girl had no idea that Volrath 
presumed to love the countess. Neither had it 
occurred to any one who knew them, nor to the 
countess herself. Had it been suggested, the 
idea would have been deemed preposterous. 

But Volrath was imbued with self-esteem, 
vanity and egotism, and hoped for success, with 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 43 

great complacency. He bided his time patiently, 
believing that he would ultimately triumph ; there- 
fore, he did not want to be precipitate in dis- 
closing to the countess his affection for her. 

He made it a point to pretend to devote him- 
self to the task of trying to find her stolen chil- 
dren, the recovery of which, he' found, was the 
one hope of her life; but, while affecting to be 
thus employed, he neglected no opportunity to 
try to ingratiate himself into her confidence and 
affection. 

Days passed into weeks, weeks changed into 
months, and months had multiplied, until two 
years had elapsed; and, still Volrath had made 
no direct avowal to the countess. His demeanor 
had been characterized by all his craft, caution, 
dissimulation and persistency throughout. While 
realizing that he had made but little progress 
in his wooing, still he felt that she was more cor- 
dial, less reserved and formal than at first. How- 
ever, despite his caution, the countess would have 
suspected his intentions concerning herself, had 
she not been aware of the affection her maid en- 
tertained for him. He continued to devote him- 
self assiduously to her, inventing many excuses 
whereby he was thrown more frequently in her 
company, and in trying to render himself indis- 
pensible to her comfort and happiness. 

Meanwhile, the maid was mentally suffering 
with deferred hope. The anticipated proposal 
had not come. Impatient of his unreasonable 
delay, she at last determined to bring him to the 
point. Happening to meet him in the library, 
one Sunday, and Volrath having selected a book 


44 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

and seated himself to read, Mary took the book 
away from him, and placing it on a table, seated 
herself on his lap, placed her shapely arms around 
his neck, as she nestled snugly against his breast, 
said: 

“Darling, you know my heart has been yours 
ever since you rescued me from the band. Your 
image is always in my heart, and thoughts of you 
are ever in my mind. To be with you, to possess 
your love and to be yours are the dearest objects 
of my heart. Do you love me in that way?” 

Volrath glanced nervously around, fearful that 
some one might be a witness of the interview. 
Then he decided to temporize with the girl, so 
he threw his arms around her supple form and 
pressed his sensual lips to hers as he answered: 

“Yes, Mary, I love you exactly in that way, 
and some day I hope to make you my wife, but 
the proper time has not yet come. We will con- 
sider ourselves engaged; but don’t talk about it 
to anybody. I would avoid gossip about the cas- 
tle. Let it be a secret, well kept. Even now, 
some one may over-hear our talk, for the very 
walls have ears. The closer you keep the secret, 
the sooner we will be married.” 

The maid fairly smotherd the villain with 
kisses as she took leave of him and left the room, 
happy as a lark. 

Volrath was still seated, a few minutes later, 
when the countess came in for a book. He arose, 
assumed his most engaging smile, as he decided 
to put his fate to the test, and advanced to meet 
her as he deferentially bowed and said: 

> “This is a most delightful pleasure, dear Lu- 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 45 

cretia; I have sought you everywhere, for I 
need the sunshine of your presence. But you 
were invisible. I have been reading some choice 
selections of verse, and whenever I found a 
stanza which described all the beauties and graces 
of woman, my mind has wandered to you! 
Every word picture that portrayed all the beau- 
ties of goodness, loveliness and purity has car- 
ried my mind to you at once. In fact, you are 
scarcely out of my thoughts at any time.” 

“Why, Casper Volrath, how you flatter me!” 
the lady replied, with a sad smile. “I am un- 
conscious of meriting such deep personal regard 
from any one. We have not met before to-day 
because I generally keep to my apartments to 
avoid afflicting my gloomy companionship upon 
my friends. Considering the cloud of sorrow 
and woe which has darkened and blighted my life, 
it is the more considerate in me to avoid com- 
pany and bear my grief alone.” 

“Come, come, Lucretia, cheer up ! I respect 
your grief, which is natural and right, to a rea- 
sonable extent of indulgence in it. The cause 
is long past. By this time you should begin to 
look on the bright side of life. A bright and 
happy future may be before you. Remember, 
‘whom God loveth, He chasteneth/ There is no 
grief so deep but that in His divine mercy, He 
permits time to heal. To continue brooding over 
your losses, is like charging Providence, who, 
for wise purposes afflicted you, with wrong- 
doing and injustice.” 

“I deny that my afflictions were put upon me 
by Providence. I believe, on the contrary, that 


4 6 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

they were the result of the machinations of devils 
incarnate, or of malignant human fiends!” 

The villain winced at this remark, for the 
little left of his conscience made a personal ap- 
plication of it. But his embarrassment was only 
momentary, for he answered: 

“However, to perpetuate even a sacred sor- 
row is unwise and a bar to happiness. I, too, 
have had more than my share of grief and woe; 
but I look forward hopefully to the future. So 
shall you. I feel, my dear Lucretia, that it is. 
useless for me to tell you I love you with all my 
heart, for you must know that it is true. I have 
long loved you better than I ever loved before. 
I worship you. You are my ideal of true woman- 
hood, and I would die for you if necessary. As 
God, in His wisdom has seen fit to take from 
both of us our life-companions, I think we should 
get married and live for each other's happiness. 
Will you not give me the pleasure of devoting 
my life to making you happy? 

That the man before her was in terrible earn- 
est, that the tremor in his voice was caused by 
real emotion, and that the passion displayed in 
his face was unfeigned she could not doubt; but 
she did not reply to his passionate appeal at once. 
She was too much shocked to do so. The revela- 
tion was too startling for her to resent the ef- 
frontery which had caused it. Her mind reverted 
back to the scenes of the abduction of her chil- 
dren and the tragedy of her husband’s death; 
and, for the first time, the thought that Casper 
Volrath might have had a hand in those crimes, 
entered her mind. His love for her would give 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 47 

him a motive for participating in those crimes. 
She shuddered at the thought, but it grew 
stronger every second she thought about it. She 
had never been able to find a satisfactory mo- 
tive for those outrageous crimes. She had 
thought about the matter a great deal. 

Here she saw a motive, clearly. Her knowl- 
edge of the world convinced her that love has al- 
ways proven a most potent motive for good 
deeds and base crimes, in all history and every 
country. 

She even found herself wondering if Volrath 
had first murdered his own wife to obtain free- 
dom for which he sought to release her by caus- 
ing the death of the count. Then she recollected, 
that, at her death, her little girls would have 
stood in between Valrath’s boy and the Wendling 
estates and titles. Ah! here was a most power- 
ful motive for the death of her husband and the 
destruction of her children. 

And when she thought that this man had the 
audacity to actually ask her — the daughter of one 
of the proudest families in Europe — to marry 
him, and that, too, when she felt morally certain 
that he had been the cause of all her woes, she 
shuddered. 

Her first thought was to indignantly reject his 
proposal and dismiss him from her service; but, 
upon reflection, she concluded that, as he was a 
desperate man, perhaps guilty of many crimes, 
and that obviously he would not hesitate about 
committing another, and if repulsed, might mur- 
der her, where she stood, decided to give him an 
evasive answer. 


48 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

All these thoughts had occupied her active 
mind but a very brief period of time, when she 
answered: “You amaze me, Mr. Volrath, with 
your unexpected proposal. Being cognizant of 
your engagement to my waiting maid, Mary 
Schultz, I don’t see how you can honorably ap- 
proach me on the subject.” 

“Confound that girl,” he said, “she has thrust 
her affections upon me in a way I could not 
avoid; but there is not and never was any en- 
gagement. I repudiate her. Will have nothing 
more to do with her. But my dear Lucretia, you 
have not answered my question. Promise me to 
become my wife.” 

“I cannot give you a favorable answer now. 
I have not thought of ever marrying again, and 
as your proposal is sudden and unexpected, I am 
not prepared to give you my decision now. I 
will acquaint you of my decision in due time.” 

And then she calmly walked away, with an ex- 
pression of firm determination on her fair face, 
quite at variance with the indecision of her 
words. 

Volrath watched her until out of sight, and 
then muttered to himself: “By Heavens! She 
shall be mine, by fair means or foul! I swear it!” 

At this juncture, a small boy entered, handed 
Volrath a letter and immediately retired. The 
latter scanned the superscription sharply, then 
opened it and read its contents. A look of shud- 
dering fear^ for a minute overcast his face and 
seemed to shake his frame, but he immediately 
regained his customary composure. The commu- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 49 

nication which had so shocked him ran as fol- 
lows : 

“The jig is up. My band is busted. Mutiny. 
The ring-leader, Bill Hauser, has threatened to 
give you and me and those who still stand by 
me away to the authorities. Thought he was 
bluffing, but Tom Kranz, whom I sent to spy up- 
on his movements, has just returned and reports 
that he saw Bill at the office of the public prose- 
cutor who was drawing up papers. Be warned. 
Take noon train for Hamburg, where we will 
meet to take steamer for America. Till then, 
adieu. Gus Monk/' 

Volrath stood a little while as if dazed, gazing 
into vacancy. Then a black scowl gathered upon 
his brow and his features looked drawn and hag- 
gard. This was a blow, the like of which he had 
never before felt. His deep laid plot for self-ag- 
grandizement, for the gratification of his pas- 
sions and his ambition had been suddenly swept 
away. He groaned in agony as he contemplated 
the overwhelming situation. But his accustomed 
nonchalence and bravado had now forsaken him 
and was replaced by the aspect of a hunted crim- 
inal. He realized that but one alternative re- 
mained to him, and that was flight. 

Going at once to his apartments he gathered 
up his valuables and packed them in a small hand- 
bag, and then secreted about his person several 
thousand dollars which he had purloined from 
the revenues of the estates which he had so long 
managed, and, seizing the grip, hurried out to 
the stables to get a conveyance in which to take 
his departure. 


50 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


At the stables he found Fritz and the hostler 
deep in a game of cards, both the worse for the 
liquor they had imbibed. 

Taking Fritz to one side he hastily informed 
him of the dilemma in which they were now 
placed and of his intention of immediate flight. 
Fritz instantly replied: 

“Well, Governor, like you, I see no other way 
than to skip. I’ll go along. Of course, they 
can’t implicate me in the scrape, but if I remain, 
I will be iu hot water, rest under suspicion and 
get the grand bounce all around. Yes, I’m go- 
ing.” 

The hostler was then directed to hitch a fast 
team onto a light rig and drive them to the rail- 
way station in time to catch the west-going train ; 
and a few moments later they drove out through 
the rear way and were off. By rapid driving 
they reached the station on time, as the train was 
just then approaching. 

Casper Volrath hastily handed the driver a 
ten dollar gold piece and admonished him to not 
reveal to anyone the fact of having conveyed 
himself and Fritz to the station, but to deny it, 
if it should be so alleged by anyone — in fact, to 
deny that he had been away from the castle. 
This the driver, who was Fritz’s intimate chum, 
promised faithfully to do, when father and son 
slunk into a compartment of the train, unob- 
served by any one, which soon thundered on its 
way. 

A few days later, Volrath, his son, Fritz, 
Monk, Burk and Kranz, all in impenetrable dis- 
guise, took steerage passage on an outgoing 
steamer at Hamburg, bound for America. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 51 


CHAPTER VII. 

NEW ENVIRONMENT. 

A period of twelve years has passed with the 
rapidity of a drama, and the scene of our story 
is transferred to America. 

Within a few miles of the flourishing city of 
Emporia, which is pleasantly situated upon the 
eastern bank of the “Father of Waters,” and 
which, while numbering a population of many 
thousands, was yet so new that its first settlers 
were still inhabitants thereof and not yet beyond 
the prime of life — not far from the precincts of 
this model, booming western city, is a neighbor- 
hood composed almost exclusively of German 
residents, who had from time to time located 
there upon the government lands which they had 
purchased at a nominal price. 

With the indefatigable industry, economy and 
perseverance characteristic of their nationality, 
these adopted Americans had acquired splendid 
farms by reclaiming the wilderness and improv- 
ing their new homes. Many of them had ac- 
quired considerable property and were rated as 
moderately wealthy people, whereas, only a few 
years before they had come as impecunious immi- 
grants. 

One of the best known and important families 


$2 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

of the neighborhood was that of Jacob Dedrock, 
consisting of himself, his wife Augusta, and his 
twin “daughters,” Dena and Lena, whom the in- 
telligent reader will recognize as the two daugh- 
ters of the lovely countess, Lucretia Wendling. 

The girls had grown into beautiful, graceful 
young ladies of eighteen years of age. Their 
bright intelligence and persistent desire for 
knowledge had enabled them to acquire a very 
fair education in both German and English, in 
the district school, which they had attended only 
during that period of the year when the business 
of the farm was at a standstill, and their pre- 
tended parents were willing to spare them from 
the arduous toil which they were compelled to 
perform during the rest of the year. 

They were, in every way, superior to their con- 
dition and surroundings ; but they had become so 
thoroughly inured to their mode of life, with its 
drudgery, parsimony and isolation from congen- 
ial society, that they were not wholly unhappy. 
And, yet, they had a dim, undefined sense of 
having seen better days, in some far-off place and 
far-off time. But, whenever they ventured to 
suggest such fancies to the old folks, the latter 
treated the subject with levity and ridicule, until, 
at length, they themselves came to regard such 
intuitions as myths and vagaries. 

It was only natural that such beautiful girls 
should be general favorites in the neighborhood, 
when it is remembered that, to their beauty and 
grace of face and form, were added the charms 
of kind and loving hearts, gentle, winning ways 
and modest deportment, which no amount of 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 53" 

hard labor and association with the lower classes 
could take from them. They were much sought 
after by the young men of the neighborhood; but 
the old folks looked upon such manifestations 
with disapproval and endeavored to impress upon 
the minds of the young men the fact that they 
had other intentions for their “daughters.” 

Although Dedrock had originally entered into 
the conspiracy with Casper Volrath, alias Hans 
Bunderson, in good faith, and had, at first, in 
consideration of the extra thousand dollars he 
was to receive for drowning the children on the 
voyage, fully intended to do so; but the longer 
he postponed the matter, the more irresolute he 
and his wife became, until finally they abandoned 
the idea altogether. This decision was not 
reached through compassion for the sweet, help- 
less children in their charge, nor through any 
other good and worthy motive, but simply 
through their cowardly fear of detection and ig- 
nominious punishment for such a dastardly 
crime, which alone influenced them, and to which 
alone the sweet little girls were indebted for 
the preservation of their lives. They concluded 
to raise the children as their own and make them 
as useful and profitable as possible. 

Although Jacob Dedrock had, in his fourteen 
years’ residence in America, been so successful in 
making money, and was at this time reputed to be 
quite wealthy, he was just as penurious as ever. 
He worked early and late for the “Almighty 
Dollar,” and was not very particular how he ac- 
quired it. He was a shrewd trader, and was 
often guilty of taking an unfair advantage of any 


54 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 


one with whom he dealt. He was known as a 
hard, grasping, avaricious man; he was lacking 
in all the nobler qualities of mind and heart — one 
whose sole ambition was to get money and hoard 
it. 

Frau Augusta was a buxom, stolid woman of 
middle age, still retaining traces of the rugged 
beauty of her girlhood, notwithstanding the hard 
life she had spent with her hard-hearted, grasp- 
ing husband. Her vigor seemed unimpaired and 
her zeal for money making was only second to 
his. She went about her arduous manifold duties 
with tireless energy, and was so much absorbed 
by them that she had no time or inclination to 
devote to the amenities of social recreation, which 
constitute the chief charm of a country neighbor- 
hood, and was utterly indifferent to other than 
her personal interests and pursuits. Dedrock and 
his wife were well matched. 

Reared by such a couple the reader can easily 
picture the lives these poor girls had to endure; 
and it is really surprising that they emerged 
from it all as sweet-tempered, lovely and inter- 
esting as they were. Of course, there could be 
no congeniality between these worthy, refined 
young ladies and their coarse, rude and sordid 
surroundings, or the people with whom their lot 
was cast. 

The district school, which had taken a long va- 
cation, was soon to reopen, and a teacher for the 
ensuing term, in the person of Ernest Paget, a 
young German- American, of prepossessing per- 
sonal appearance and gentlemanly address, had 
been employed. He had just arrived in the neigh- 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 55 

borhood and had secured a boarding place at a 
nearby farm house. 

Dena and Lena, whose school days were over, 
in common with the other young people of the vi- 
cinity, felt considerable interest in the new teach- 
er; for, generally speaking, the school teacher is 
a person of culture and refinement, and wherever 
his or her lot may be, for the time being, cast, at 
once becomes the central figure of local society. 
But, as yet, they had not seen Mr. Paget. How- 
ever, a daughter of the farmer at whose house he 
was staying, had called upon the girls and had 
given them a glowing and laudatory account of 
that young gentleman; and they sighed, as they 
remembered the restrictions which were placed 
around them by their narrow-minded parents, 
which precluded them from entering the charmed 
circle of society. Obliged to forego the society 
available to them, which, like any other desir- 
able but unattainable object, the thing or object 
suddenly becomes greatly enhanced in one’s esti- 
mation; therefore, they felt as though debarred 
from entering an earthly paradise by the stern 
and unreasonable fiat of parental authority. 

On the following day Dena, while passing 
through the woods, on her return from a neigh- 
bor’s, where she had gone on an errand for the 
old people, was suddenly startled by a half-hu- 
man scream issuing from among the spreading 
branches of a tree immediately above her head. 
She glanced upward, and there she saw crouched 
upon a limb, a ferocious panther, his head bent 
toward her, his white teeth glistening in his half- 
open mouth, his eyes shining like fire, his tail 


56 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

swaying to and fro; by which attitude and ap- 
pearance she realized that the fearful monster 
was preparing or about ready to spring upon her. 
She vociferated one despairing shriek, her facul- 
ties became paralyzed, the blood in her veins 
seemed frozen with fright, for she knew she was 
face to face with a terrible death. Her fears 
were well founded; but, at that very instant, the 
loud report of a rifle issued from the vicinity of a 
nearby tree, when the panther sprang into the air 
and fell heavily to the ground by Dena’s side, 
limp and lifeless. 

Ernest Paget, the school teacher, emerged 
from the cloud of smoke, stood his gun against 
the tree, and rapidly approached her. But none 
too soon, for the great reaction from her fright 
was too sudden and she swayed and would have 
fallen had he not reached her promptly and 
caught her in his arms. 

“Thank God, she is saved !” he reverently said, 
as he carefully and tenderly laid the unconscious 
girl upon the greensward ; then he hastened away, 
and a moment later returned bringing water in 
his inverted hat, which he copiously sprinkled in 
her pallid, upturned face. His efforts to resusci- 
tate her were soon rewarded, for respiration was 
resumed, a flush overspread her face and her 
eyes gradually opened in bewilderment. 

What she saw was a superbly handsome young 
man looking down at her with solicitude and 
sympathy, blended with admiration and homage, 
which emotions were depicted in his attitude and 
in his expressive face. His ardent, admiring, but 
respectful gaze into the depths of her glorious 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 57 

eyes brought heightened color to her glowing 
cheeks. He was the first to speak : 

“You are better, I see; let me assist you to 
rise.” 

Very gently he assisted her to stand erect. 
Dena ' trembled exceedingly, and an occasional 
shudder shook her frame as her mind reverted to 
the harrowing scene through which she had so 
lately passed. 

“Permit me to assist you to yonder log where 
you can sit until you are more composed, for I 
see you are almost prostrated with the shock, and 
no wonder, for it was a fearful experience,” he 
said, as he passed an arm around her waist, and 
supported her to the place designated. When 
she was seated, he sat down beside her, when and 
where a “western introduction” and an interest- 
ing conversation ensued, which we deem unnec- 
essary here to reproduce. 

As they conversed her soulful eyes met his in 
lingering glances which made his heart beat rap- 
idly and filled his soul with ecstacy. 

This first interview between these hitherto 
strangers was a brief one, yet it was a revelation 
to them, for they realized that it was a case of 
love at first sight. Both were deeply impressed 
with each other. His very soul was possessed 
with passionate, idolatrous love for the beautiful 
being by his side, while she was conscious of a 
delightful sensation at her heart mingled with a 
sense of gratitude to him for having so oppor- 
tunely snatched her from the very jaws of death. 
These mutual impressions and sentiments were 
not conveyed to each other in formal words, for 


58 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

words were inadequate to express their deep emo- 
tions. 

When Dena had recovered her composure suf- 
ficiently to be able to walk home, Ernest accom- 
panied her as far as the gate in front of the Ded- 
rock house, they conversing together as only lov- 
ers can and do, where they found old Jacob 
awaiting and glowering at them, as he snarled : 

“Dena, I’m shocked at your actions! You 
have prolonged your stay, out of reason, and 
here, at last you come, hanging to the arm of a 
total stranger. And you, sir, what do you mean 
by clandestinely meeting my daughter and at- 
tempting to form her acquaintance in this under- 
handed manner ? No gentleman would do so with- 
out first getting my permission to address her.” 

“I humbly beg your pardon, Mr. Dedrock ; you 
are quite mistaken in some of your premises; I 
did not seek to make the acquaintance of Miss 
Dena, but met her under such circumstances as 
justified me in making her acquaintance and es- 
corting her home. I think I would be devoid of 
every gentlemanly instinct if I had neglected to 
do so. The fact is, a panther was about to spring 
upon her from a tree when I arrived upon the 
scene just in time to shoot the beast and save her 
life. The shock made her quite ill, and she is 
scarcely recovered from it yet. I simply assisted 
her to reach her home. It may be the proper 
thing in the old country to get the consent of the 
parents of a young lady before presuming to ad- 
dress her, but in this free America, that ab- 
surd custom is more honored in the breach than 
the observance. Is my explanation satisfactory ?” 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 59 

“Oh, yes, I suppose so,” hesitatingly replied 
Dedrock, “your conduct was all right, under the 
circumstances; but because you saved her life is 
all the more reason why you should drop each 
other’s acquaintance. You might get to thinking 
too much of each other. The truth is, we have 
other intentions concerning her future. I have 
promised her hand in marriage to Mr. Herman 
Schwabel, the son of the rich brewer in Em- 
poria.” 

“Herman Schwabel, indeed!” Dena exclaimed, 
contemptuously, “I detest him, and if you have 
attempted to form such an alliance for me, I tell 
you, right now, I repudiate it !” 

To say that Dedrock was dumbfounded at this 
display of spirit and independence in the girl 
who had always obeyed him before, is drawing 
the matter quite mildly. He was fairly boiling 
with rage, but he did not give it expression, save 
in his vindictive looks. 

Dena was rewarded by an approving glance 
from Ernest, as he bade her good-night and took 
his departure. 


6o The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER VIII. 

A LUDICROUS ENGAGEMENT. 

That evening, as the two sisters were “doing 
the chores,” Dena told Lena all about the ro- 
mantic adventure in which she had met and be- 
come acquainted with Ernest Paget, and of the 
match which Dedrock had made for her with 
Herman Schwable. 

As heretofore stated, Lena was more staid and 
sedate than Dena, the latter being sprightly, viva- 
cious and cheerful, but as shown in the interview 
with Dedrock, in the presence of her lover, she 
had a will of her own, once she was brought to 
the point of asserting it. Lena’s face wore a 
grave expression as Dena finished the recital, 
when she said : 

“The idea of his wanting to marry you to that 
bloated, beer-drinking gambler! I am glad you 
had the stamina to tell him you repudiated the 
scheme ; but I am afraid if he has set his mind to 
it you will have a hard struggle to oppose him.” 
Dena replied : 

“Nothing on earth would induce me to consent. 
I would die first. In this country, no woman can 
be forced to marry a man, if she objects at the 
altar. In such a case I should object first, last 
and all the time. Father ought to learn that old 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 6i 

world ways don’t go here, and that he cannot 
dispose of us as he pleases, like chattels.” 

“My darling sister, I didn’t know you had so 
much spirit and decision. I had anticipated that 
I would have to fight all your battles for you, but 
find you are capable of defending yourself. Of 
course, you are right. Father has no right to co- 
erce you into a marriage that is repugnant to 
you, and I will help you frustrate his efforts in 
that line, as well as to facilitate your union with 
the man of your choice.” 

“Oh, I am glad to hear you say that, Lena, 
and I shall be guided by your counsel.” 

“You can count on my aid and advice in the in- 
terest of your welfare and happiness, Dena. I 
can’t tell why, but I have always felt you were 
dearer to me than either father or mother, con- 
sidering all things. I have sometimes wondered 
if we were really their children. I cannot trace 
a single line of resemblance in form, face, mind 
or disposition. They seem to be sordid, preju- 
diced, superstitious, stupid and mercenary. I can- 
not help having such thoughts, at times.” 

“I, too, have often thought about these things, 
but kept silent about them, because I considered 
it my duty to obey and respect them all I could; 
but, since they seem willing, nay, anxious to give 
me away to such a brute as I know Schw'abel to 
be, I have, in a large degree, lost my respect for 
them; hence, I will obey them in nothing here- 
after of which I disapprove. There are some 
things which I propose to do as I please about. 
They shall not dictate whom I shall or shall not 
marry 1” 


62 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“That’s right, Dena; neither shall they dictate 
whom I shall marry, as they — they — presume to 
do,” answered Lena, who hesitated and blushed, 
then resumed: “Dena, since I have heard your 
sentiments expressed, I want to tell you some- 
thing. Heretofore I have withheld it from you, 
because I didn’t know how you would take it. I, 
too, have a lover.” 

“You? Why, Lena, dear, I had no idea that 
you, demure, quiet and thoughtful as you are, had 
a romance of your own ! For goodness sake, tell 
me all about it, for I am curious to know who he 
is and when you have met him. Our facilities for 
forming acquaintances with the opposite sex are 
none of the best, you know.” 

“Yes, I have been so derelict to worldly max- 
ims and indifferent to pecuniary considerations as 
to fall in love with a farm hand — a poor man, if 
you please, but a real gentleman, nevertheless. 
We have met clandestinely, and none but our- 
selves know that we are even acquainted with 
each other. I the more readily became engaged 
to him, after such a brief courtship, because 
father informed me that he had promised me to 
that odious, red- faced, gambling saloon keeper, 
Fritz Volrath, who is the especial friend and pal 
of your would-be husband, Herman Schwabel, 
Since father has tried to marry you off, also, it is 
obvious that he intends to sell us both at once. 
As for me, I prefer death to Volrath; would 
sooner die than marry him.” 

“Exactly my estimate of Schwabel ; but you 
have not told me the name of your real lover.” 

“I beg your pardon for the omission. Michael 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 63 

Paget is his name, and he is the only brother of 
your sweetheart.” 

“Bless my soul, Lena, you astonish me ! How 
romantic and bewildering it all seems! Ernest 
informed me that he had an only brother, who 
stays in an adjoining township, but I had no idea 
you knew him.” 

Their conversation was here interrupted by 
Mr. Dedrock vociferating impatiently: 

“Girls, quit your chin-music out there, and fin- 
ish doing the chores. Supper’s most ready, and 
company’s coming!” 

“What company is expected, I wonder?” Dena 
asked. 

“What company would he want but those 
odious city toughs, to whom he is so partial?” 

Directly, the sisters went to the house, finding 
that supper was on the table, and while the mem- 
bers of the family were taking their seats around 
it, a buggy stopped at the gate, from Which two 
flashily dressed,- portly, bloated, blear-eyed young 
men rolled rather than sprang out; while Ded- 
rock explained that he had invited Fritz and Her- 
man to come out and spend the evening with 
them. At this the girls exchanged glances, when 
Dena crisply said: 

“Their visits are less welcome than a pestilence, 
and their room is more appreciated than their 
presence; so, I propose to show them that their 
attentions to us girls neither honor or please us.” 

“The graceless scamps! Father, you should 
send them about their business !” suggested Lena. 

“They are attending to their business in coming 


6 4 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


out here as the accepted suitors for my daugh- 
ters’ hands in marriage, and — ” 

“We’ve not accepted them,” interrupted Dena, 
“and you may as well dismiss them at once. We 
have no earthly use for them.” 

“I have accepted them for you,” continued old 
Jacob, quietly, but with a look of determination 
in his eyes, ‘‘and I guess I know what is best for 
you. And, now, I tell you plainly, that I will not 
stand any foolishness on your part. It is ar- 
ranged that you girls are to marry them two 
weeks from to-morrow. I have promised them 
that the wedding shall occur at that time, and you 
know I make no idle promises. I want you girls 
to treat them as you should betrothed husbands, 
and it will not be good for you if you don’t.” 

“That’s right,” declared Augusta. 

Here they were interrupted by a knock on the 
door, which was followed by the entrance of the 
two swells in question. They doffed their hats, 
and bowed with patronizing airs and self-com- 
placent smirks. 

■ Mrs. Dedrock laid two extra plates and invited 
them to participate in their evening meal, which 
invitation they accepted and joined the family at 
table. The guests kept up a volley of small talk, 
principally addressed to the girls. The latter per- 
sisted in maintaining a studied reticence during 
the entire meal. The old people noticed this and 
answered for the girls whenever they could. It 
was a situation both strained and embarrassing to 
all parties, and it was with a feeling of relief that 
they all left the table later on. The young men 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 65 

attributed the reticence of the girls to their nat- 
ural bashfulness and took no offence. 

But when they entered the sitting room the sit- 
uation did not improve much, although the visit- 
ors adroitly managed to seat themselves near the 
girls and did all they could to draw them into 
conversation and tete a tete with them. Still, the 
girls continued their, haughty tactics, which only 
seemed to make the guests increase their ardor 
in their efforts to please them. This state of af- 
fairs continued until old Jacob lost his patience 
and petulantly asked: 

“Girls, what is the matter with you? Fritz and 
Herman have come out here to see you, and yet 
you make no effort to entertain them.” 

“They are not here by our invitation or desire, 
so, of course, they are not our guests. It seems 
you invited them, therefore, they are your guests, 
and you can do the entertaining,” responded 
Dena. 

“These gentlemen are here by my invitation,” 
skid Dedrock, “and they have some matters to ar- 
range with you girls. I had intended for you 
four to arrange it for yourselves, but I see I shall 
have to help settle it. Herman has asked for your 
hand in marriage, Dena, and Fritz has made the 
same request for yours, Lena; and I have given 
my consent that the double wedding shall take 
place two weeks from to-morrow. Herman’s 
father has promised to give him $5,000 on his 
wedding day, which amount I will supplement by 
a deed of gift for the Rock Valley farm to you, 
Dena; while Fritz has promised to sell out his 


66 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

business and take the money to stock Prairie 
Spring farm, which I shall deed to you, Lena. 
And, now, having explained all these points, we 
old folks will retire and leave you all to talk the 
matter over together, and make all the minor ar- 
rangements to suit yourselves.” 

Whereupon old Jacob and Augusta left the 
room and closed the door. 

“Dena, darling, allow me to go down on my 
knees before you, to plead with you that your 
answer to my heart’s desire will be that which 
will make me the happiness of Heaven here op 
earth; that you will freely be my wife!” And 
Herman Schwabel fell awkwardly on his knees 
before Dena, rolled his optics like a blear-eyed 
monkey, and looked, for all the world, like a 
bloated baboon with trousers on. 

The situation was so comical that the fun-lov- 
ing Dena burst out into a merry laugh, in spite 
of her feelings of indignation. 

“My dear Lena, you must know how great is 
the love I bear for you, and you must feel how 
anxiously my heart awaits the words from you 
which will make me the happiest man alive !” de- 
clared the pompous Fritz, as he placed his hand 
over the region of his heart and heaved a huge 
sigh of dismal impressiveness, supposed to reveal 
the depth and extent of the emotions with which 
he was surcharged. 

There was a brief silence, and then the two 
girls arose, simultaneously, while Lena proceeded 
to speak for both of them. All the proud blood 
of a hundred noble generations mantled her fair 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 67 

brow, as she waved her lovely little hand at the 
two men, who shrank before the intensity of her 
burning scorn, like whipped curs before the fall- 
ing lash, as she said : 

“You two egotistic villains may believe that it 
... is manly to try to force yourselves on two unsus- 
pecting, unprotected, powerless girls, but we have 
another name for it. You two pompous, de- 
praved, sensual, gambling drunkards may con- 
sider it brave, honest and gentlemanly to take ad- 
vantage of the weak venality and miserly desires 
of an old man for wealth, in order to gain two 
unwilling brides; but I want to say to you that 
my sister and I accept such actions as the evi- 
dences of depravity and loss of every manly im- 
pulse; and, that, sooner than marry you, we 
would cut our throats !” 

The two girls then turned and swept out of the 
room with an expression of the utmost scorn and 
contempt on their faces. 

The two young swells looked at each other 
sheepishly, just as old Jacob re-entered in a tow- 
ering rage. 

“You boys need not be uneasy, or worry about 
the girls,” he said, “for I will see that they are 
ready when the time comes. Willing, or unwill- 
ing, it makes ho difference to me. The wedding 
shall take place as proposed. Make all your ar- 
rangements accordingly. You bet, it will be all 
right.” 

“Very well,” replied Fritz, “we will do as you 
say, and hope it will come out as you think it will. 
We shall certainly perform our part of the affair, 


68 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


when the time comes, and shall expect you to do 
your part as you have agreed.” 

The two coxcombs shook hands with their host, 
lighted cigars, entered their buggy and drove off 
city-wards. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 69 


CHAPTER IX. 

AN OPPORTUNE ABSENCE. 

The next two weeks passed uneventfully until 
Saturday, when Mr. Dedrock announced at the 
breakfast table that he and his wife were going to 
Emporia that day to purchase materials for the 
wedding outfits for the girls. The latter ap- 
peared to receive the announcement in the most 
unconcerned manner possible. They had con- 
cluded not to interpose any further opposition un- 
til the wedding day arrived, when they intended 
to denounce the whole outrageous affair and re- 
fuse to permit the marriage ceremony to be per- 
formed. With this understanding, they saw no 
reason why they should object to the old people 
buying them a lot of finery ; so they offered no 
protest when the old people made memoranda of 
hats, shoes, dresses, shawls, parasols, etc., of 
which they were badly in need, wedding or no 
wedding, and even smiled as they thought how 
hard it would be for them to get old Jacob to 
purchase the goods under any other circum- 
stances. They considered that they had earned 
more than they had received. 

The silence of the girls, in regard to the pro- 
posed trousseau was, by the old folks, construed 
into consent and acquiescence in the situation and 


70 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

a fear to put up any more opposition to their 
wishes; so they went away very happy that the 
difficulty was so easily settled. Dedrock had 
loaded his wagon with produce, and with Au- 
gusta on the spring seat by his side, they started 
for the city. Their purpose was not only to buy 
the materials mentioned, but to engage a first- 
class dressmaker to return home with them to as- 
sist in making up the goods. They also deter- 
mined to make the forthcoming wedding a grand 
affair in all its appointments, regardless of ex- 
pense. 

The girls stood in the doorway and watched 
the wagon until it had passed out of sight, while 
they discussed their plans to defeat the object of 
the trip to town, when they were rejoiced to see 
the Paget brothers aproaching. 

It is not essential to the development of our 
story to relate the exact formula of the greeting 
the latter received that morning, or the conver- 
sation among them. Suffice it to state that the 
young people were extremely happy and ani- 
mated, as is always the case when and where a 
party of congenial youths and maidens are as- 
sembled. 

The Pagets were soon informed of the in- 
tended marriage of the would-be-bridegrooms, 
to the unwilling brides, which they both, the 
young ladies concurring, declared should never 
occur. In fact, all were united in planning for a 
vastly different arrangement. But it is needless 
to here explain their plans as agreed upon on this 
happy occasion until the unfolding of the story 
makes them manifest. 



TheMountain Castle Mystery 71 

However, it might be interesting to the reader 
to briefly glance at Ernest Paget and Dena, seated 
very closely together near the vine-laden window, 
talking in low, happy tones; while Michael and 
Lena are enjoying a very interesting conversation 
on a rustic seat out in the shady confines of a 
flower-covered arbor in the dooryard. They are 
certainly two Very interesting couples ; and, when 
the observer notes the fair, blushing faces of the 
two lovely girls while thus engaged, he could not 
be mistaken in divining the feelings they enter- 
tained for the handsome, gentlemanly young men 
with whom they were conversing. And, judging 
from the expression on the faces of these two 
young men, one might easily believe that they 
fairly worshipped the sweet girls to whom they 
were so devotedly paying their honest homage. 

After a long and earnest conversation with the 
girls, the Paget brothers, as they were about to 
take their leave, announced that they would call 
upon Mr. Dedrock soon and try to persuade him 
to let the girls marry them instead of forcing 
them to marry the other two young men who 
were so obnoxious to the girls. Their sweethearts 
had no hope of their success, but thought it not 
best to oppose the idea and consented that they 
might do so. 

Just as the visitors were saying a last tender 
farewell, they all heard a rumbling sound down 
the road and looking that way saw a runaway 
team attached to a farm wagon coming along the 
road with- great velocity in the midst of a great 
cloud of dust, an elderly man and two young girls 
sitting in the wagon ; he, hatless and wildly ges- 


72 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

ticulating with his arms, and shouting “whoa” to 
the team, and they screaming with fright, their 
ribbons and garments flying in the breeze. The 
three persons were hopelessly at the mercy of the 
high-spirited and frantic horses, the lines having 
parted while the driver was trying to hold back 
the team. 

They knew they were in more than the ordi- 
nary danger of such an incident, for just ahead, 
where the road sharply curved, was a precipice 
into which they were likely to be thrown, as the 
team would turn with the road, hence the terror 
and dismay of the three passengers. The situation 
was indeed critical in the extreme. 

The party at the door took in the aspect of the 
case at a glance, and Ernest said : 

“Come on, Michael, we must stop that team or 
perish in the attempt!” 

Both young men darted toward the highway, 
and, clearing the fence at a bound, instantly took 
positions on opposite sides of the worn wagon 
track, as the team came rushing furiously toward 
them. 

“Now!” shouted Ernest, and simultaneously 
they both sprang at the horses’ heads with the 
agility of trained athletes. 

Had they failed to snatch the bridle bits they 
would have been thrown to the ground and been 
trampled under the horses’ feet, besides being 
crushed by the revolving wagon wheels. 

As it was, fortune favored them, for they got 
a firm grip of the strong bridles, but the great 
speed of the frantic team rendered their tenure 
very precarious. They were lifted off their feet 


The Mountain Castle Mystery ,73 

and dragged some distance. But they were robust 
and active, and quickly regained their footing, 
thus getting control of the team and halting it, 
but not until it had swerved to one side, throwing 
over the wagon bed, emptying the occupants and 
l u gg a g e upon the ground in a promiscous heap. 

Dena and Lena, who had been startled specta- 
tors of the exciting episode from the roadside, 
rushed to the assistance of the upset passengers, 
who were literally buried under the boxes and 
packages which had been dumped out, and soon 
succeeded in extricating them from their unpleas- 
ant situation, when it was found that they had 
sustained no serious injuries. They considered 
themselves very fortunate to escape with only a 
big scare, a rough shaking up and many slight 
bruises and scratches. 

Meanwhile the Pagets had quieted the horses, 
detaching them from the wagon and hitching 
them to the fence, and had mended the broken 
lines. 

Returning to the wreck, Michael, as he grasped 
a hand of the old gentleman and shook it 
cordially, exclaimed: 

“Why, these are Mr. Belden and daughters, 
near neighbors of my employer/’ 

Introductions were given all around. 

“You . and your companion have saved our 
lives,” Mr. Belden said, “and I wish to assure you 
of our sincere gratitude and thanks for your 
heroic act.” 

The young men modestly declined to take any 
credit for their performance, simply saying they 
were glad to have been at hand and able to render 


74 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 


him and his daughters a service; that they had 
only done their duty and deserved no special 
praise for it. But Mr. Belden and his daughters, 
Jennie and Kate, refused to see the matter in 
that light, and proceeded to place the Paget 
brothers on a special pedestal of bravery and 
heroism. 

The young men happened to be going out to 
Mr. Brown’s place, where Michael worked, and 
Mr. Belden invited them to ride with him, saying 
he desired their present services in driving the 
fiery team home, as he hardly felt equal to the 
task himself, having been so badly shaken up that 
his nerves were unstrung, and, besides, he de- 
sired to further cultivate their acquaintance. 

The Pagets accepted his invitation and pro- 
ceeded to right-up the wagon, replace the seats, 
reload the goods and hitch on the team which was 
still quite restive. They held the horses by the 
bits while Mr. Belden and his daughters resumed 
their seats in the wagon, then following, Michael 
took the lines, with his brother by his side. 

Preparations completed, the Beldens and 
Pagets exchanged kindly adieus with Dena and 
Lena, and proceeded briskly on their way. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 75 


CHAPTER X. 

THE ITALIAN MODISTES. 

Arrived in the city, the Dedrocks drew up in 
front of an unpretentious house situated on a 
semi-business street. A sign at the doorside an- 
nounced that the Misses Lola and Aglae Guivano 
held forth therein as professional modistes. 

Mrs. Dedrock alighted and entered, while her 
husband proceeded on up street to dispose of his 
load of farm produce. 

She found the dressmakers very busy. One was 
running a sewing machine and the other engaged 
in cutting out garments at a table. They were 
twenty and twenty-two years of age, of medium 
height, graceful, well-rounded and beautiful in 
form and feature, eyes and hair as black as mid- 
night, quick, bright, intelligent, shrewd ; they 
were two very cheery, happy, prosperous and in- 
teresting Italian personages. 

The room was part shop, part parlorj a piano 
and other musical instruments occupied a corner, 
work tables and chairs, the front and center, pots 
of lovely plants and flowers, the windows, and 
fashion plates were tacked on the walls, between 
pictures of foreign scenes and portraits of people. 

“Are you Lola Guivano ?” Mrs. Dedrock asked 
of the girl who was working at a table. 


76 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“Yes, and this is my sister Aglae; now, is there 
anything we can do for you?” 

“I am Mrs. Jacob Dedrock, live out in Mogul 
township, and you have been recommended to me 
as expert dressmakers. Have called to see if I 
could get one of you to go home with me and 
work on dresses for my daughters next week.” 

“Well, I hardly know, Mrs. Dedrock; we sel- 
dom go to the country, excepting on such occa- 
sions as weddings, when, if desired, we, or one of 
us, sometimes go out and take entire charge of 
the bride’s trousseau.” 

“Then you will surely go out with me, for my 
two daughters, Dena and Lena, are to be married 
one week from to-morrow. The girls will help 
with the work, but we will all have to work lively 
to get everything done in time.” 

“This is interesting, and I suppose we must ar- 
range so that one of us can go out with you. Who 
are the lucky young men, if I may ask?” 

“Mr. Herman Schwabel is to marry Dena, and 
Mr. Fritz Volrath is to marry Lena!” answered 
Mrs. Dedrock, proudly. 

Had a bombshell exploded in their midst, it 
could not have caused greater consternation to 
the dressmakers than did this announcement. 
Their black eyes glistened, their brows contracted 
ominously, while their respiration seemed sus- 
pended, and their faces blanched as they looked 
at each other, during the protracted silence which 
ensued. 

The old lady, perceiving the effect of her an- 
nouncement, asked: 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 77 

“Are you ladies acquainted with Herman and 
Fritz ?” 

By the exercise of their wonderful power of 
self control, the young ladies speedily recovered 
their equanimity, their faces gained normal color 
and their general aspect seemed that of non- 
chalence as Lola promptly answered : 

“Yes, we have met them a few times, at par- 
ties here in the city, and have a casual acquaint- 
ance with them. That is all. Now, Aglae and I 
would like to consult together about this work if 
you will excuse us a moment.” 

“Certainly,” Mrs. Dedrock replied, picking up 
a fashion-book to glance at its highly colored 
plates. 

The two girls crossed the room and seated 
themselves near the piano and conversed in the 
Italian language. 

“Well, Lola, it seems our suspicions were well 
founded. Herman and Fritz have doubtless de- 
cided to marry those Dedrock girls because they 
are of a wealthy family, while you and I are to 
be discarded, although our wedding day has been 
set, and we are even now making preparations 
for the event. What is your idea? How shall 
we act?” 

“This is a hard blow at our sentimentality, 
Aglae, but it is better that it should come now 
than later. You know I have been dissatisfied 
with them for some time since we came to know 
them better, for we became engaged to them 
before we knew anything scarcely about their 
reputation and habits. I thank God that we have 
found them out in time, but such treachery is 


78 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

astounding and shows them for what they are — 
a precious pair of scamps !” 

“My sentiments, Lola, to a dot. They are 
false and fickle, and we are well rid of them.” 

“Yes, Aglae, they have proved themselves a 
pair of scoundrels, and the girls they are to 
marry are to be pitied.” 

“You are right, Lola. To tell the truth, I ad- 
mired and trusted Fritz when I promised to 
marry him, but the more I saw of him the more 
I became distrustful of him. I was perplexed, 
and blamed myself for my indifference for him, 
thinking the fault was mine, because I had left 
my heart in Italy. Thus I tried to excuse him 
for my growing distrust, but now I know I 
hate him!” 

“Unlike you, Aglae, I was entirely heart-free, 
and loved Herman with all the warmth of our 
Italian nature; but now, that he has forfeited the 
trust I reposed in him, that love has turned to 
implacable hate ; and, I would like to take a hand 
in this little episode, and see if we cannot show 
these rascals up to those unsuspecting country 
girls, and make the traitors feel the sting of our 
revenge !” 

“That’s the idea. Besides, it would be an act 
of charity to the girls to frustrate the machina- 
tions of these villains. I half suspect that the 
old folks are forcing their daughters to marry 
the miscreants, judging by the way the old 
woman announced the affair. I shall interrogate 
her and find out. I think you had better go out 
there and do the work for them, while I stay 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 79 

here and, with cousin Anselmo, play detective 
on them.” 

They returned to Mrs. Dedrock, and Lola told 
her that her sister would accompany her home to 
do the dressmaking. At the request of Mrs. Ded- 
rock, Lola accompanied her to the store to help 
her select the desired dress goods. 

Considerable time was spent in this shopping, 
the goods were left for old Jacob to call for, and 
the women started to return to the dressmakers’ 
shop. Lola broached the subject of the wedding 
as they walked along. She asked: “Mrs. Bed- 
rock, are your daughters’ engagements of long 
standing ?” 

“No, not very long, but the young gentlemen 
seem to be real devoted to the girls.” 

“Ah, indeed ! but do your daughters appear to 
reciprocate the affection the young men enter- 
tain for them ?” 

“Well, I can’t say that they do,” hesitatingly; 
“you see, they never had beaus before, and so 
I expect they don’t act like girls who have been 
used to company right along. They have op- 
posed the matches, but I guess they’re about 
reconciled to them now. Husband and I have 
shown them the advantages of the marriages, 
and I guess they begin to see it in the right 
light.” 

“Do you consider that Herman and Fritz will 
make desirable husbands for your daughters ?” 

“Why not ? Only think ! They are rich, young, 
smart and good looking! Ain’t that enough? 
We’ve never allowed them to go with poor 


8o The Mountain Castle Mystery 

young men because we’ve wanted them to marry 
rich; and now’s their chance!” 

Lola’s features assumed a fierce aspect as she 
said to herself in Italian : “This fool woman and 
her stupid husband are a couple of mercenary 
wretches; the would-be bridegrooms are treach- 
erous villains, but the brides-elect seem to be in- 
telligent girls; the anticipated wedding is a das- 
tardly outrage. I understand the situation per- 
fectly.” 

“What did you say?” asked Mrs. Dedrock in 
surprise. 

“Excuse me; I had forgotten that you do not 
understand Italian. I merely remarked that I 
thought the whole arrangement proper, wise, de- 
sirable and commendable!” 

They found Aglae dressed for the journey, 
standing in the door with a valise in her hand. 

At the same moment old Jacob drove up, and 
Mrs. Dedrock and, Aglae climbed into the wagon, 
Lola handed up the valise, and they drove off. 

Just then Lola was greeted by her cousin, who 
came along, a young Italian named Guieppi An- 
selmo, with whom she shook hands, and together 
they entered the house and arranged their plans 
for the coming campaign, into which Anselmo 
entered with spirit and zeal. 

But let the next chapter explain these plans 
and what resulted. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 8i 


CHAPTER XI. 

AT THE ARCADE. 

On the following Monday evening, just as the 
shades of night were falling, Fritz Volrath was 
walking back and forth, restlessly, in front of the 
bar in his saloon. He was alone, and, as he 
walked, he muttered: “Business has been infer- 
nal dull of late, and times are getting squally. 
Been losing money right along. Debts are piling 
up. Might get closed out by my creditors if I 
don’t look out. A surplus is a good thing, but 
a deficit is a bad egg. All clamoring for their 
money. I wish I could make a raise somehow. 
It won’t do to draw on old Dedrock, for that 
would expose to him my circumstances, and he 
would shut down on our matrimonial scheme, as 
the only reason he wants me to marry his gal is 
because he thinks I’m rich. Gee whilikens ! Rich ! 
Now I call that the richest joke extant! Oh, 
Lord! Ha! ha! ha!” 

In the excess of his mirth he leaned on the bar 
and roared with joyful shouts, until the tears 
came into his eyes. Then he straightened up, 
resumed his walk and continued: “No, it won’t 
do to bleed the old duffer yet. That will be my 
occupation in the sweet by-and-by. But I must 
have a lot of money right off. I wonder where 


82 J The Mountain Castle Mystery 

the deuce Gus and Sandy are? Those fellows 
are full of resources. That bank robbery pro- 
ject may pan out all right, but it is awfully dan- 
gerous and may land the whole gang in jail. 
Still, with the police and sheriff on our side, we 
ought to manage it. Gus and Sandy, who will 
direct the affair, are smooth. But what the deuce 
is that?” 

He assumed a listening attitude, for the dulcet 
strains of a violin and harp, skillfully played, 
came to his ears. He went to the door, and 
saw that the musicians were an Italian man and 
girl, whose music had already drawn a crowd 
together in front of his place. The man was a 
tall, dark visaged fellow, aged about twenty-five 
years, wearing upon his head a plush cap, with a 
tassel depending from its apex, a blue silk tunic 
enclosed his person, over a pair of velvet trous- 
ers, with yellow tape on their outer seams. The 
girl, seemingly his younger sister, with equally 
dark complexion, hair and eyes, and of a splen- 
did figure. She wore a fantastic hat bedecked 
with artificial flowers and ribbons, a low-necked 
dress, a pearl necklace encircling her neck and 
bracelets on her wrists. 

The music was a popular melody, which was 
well rendered, and the large crowd contributed 
much small change when the Italian passed 
around his cap. 

x Herman Schwabel arrived and joined Fritz 
at the door. Both pronounced the music most 
excellent, and the latter declared his intention o t 
hiring the musicians to play in his place evem 
ings, to draw trade, which Herman assured him 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 83 

was a good idea, and he asked the Italian, in 
German, if they would play for him, nights, in 
the saloon. 

The Italian stared, shook his head and an- 
swered in broken English that he and his sister 
couldn’t understand German. Then Fritz re- 

? eated his proposition in English, to which the 
talian answered that they would play for him a 
few evenings, at two dollars per evening, to 
which Fritz gladly assented. 

He conducted them inside, the crowd filed in 
after them, and for the rest of the evening the 
place was vocal with harmonious strains of 
music, blended with the clashing of beer glasses, 
jingling of coin, much loud talk, laughter and 
the tramping of the lively crowd. Volrath and 
Schwabel stood behind the bar dealing out the 
drinks and cigars, and taking in the money. 

The musicians played on, apparently unob- 
servant of what was transpiring; but their keen 
eyes saw every little by-play that occurred in 
the room. It frequently happened that when 
some patron of the bar got too full to stand, 
Fritz or Herman would assist him to a seat, or 
into a back room, where he could sleep off the 
effects of his debauch, and the Italians noticed 
that whenever this occurred the unhappy victim 
was relieved of his money in a way that con- 
vinced them that Fritz and Herman were profes- 
sionals in that line of business. 

But the musicians played on, feigning to be 
oblivious of such pranks, which deceived the 
pickpockets into believing that their tricks were 
unnoticed by them. 


84 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

And thus the evening passed, until the hour 
for closing the saloon arrived, when the music 
ceased and the crowd dispersed. 

The outer doors were closed, the Italians were 
given a lunch at one of the card tables, while the 
bartenders brought a decanter of brandy, with 
glasses, and seated themselves at another table, 
where they were soon talking over their affairs 
in a most confidential manner, feeling sure that 
the Italians could not understand a word of Ger- 
man. The latter were busy eating their lunch 
and unstringing their instruments. 

“By the way, why didn’t you go out to old 
Dedrock’s yesterday?” asked Fritz. “I couldn’t 
find you anywhere, and had to go alone.” 

“Well, I expected to go with you, but a prior 
engagement to go on a steamboat excursion with 
'Beauty’ existed, which I forgot to mention when 
I saw you. 'Fairy’ was there, too, expecting you 
to put in an appearance. I told her you were sick 
and unable to go. I escorted them both, but 
‘Fairy’ was disappointed because you failed to 
appear. The two girls will honor you and I with 
a visit after business hours to-morrow night, 
and you must remember the excuse I made for 
you. But what about the Dedrock girls ? Have 
they relented?” 

“I guess so. I swear, I think their pretended 
coldness and opposition all a sham. The old folks 
gave me a chance to be alone with Lena and I 
talked love and matrimony to her. She would 
say but little, and tried to change the subject, the 
way lots of bashful country girls do. But the 
old folks say the girls have surrendered. Any- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 85 

how, they are getting ready for the wedding, all 
right. Why, they have a dressmaker helping 
them, and the finery is piled in heaps. I caught 
sight of the dressmaker. She scooted out of the 
back door as I came in the front one. Some 
bashful country girl, I expect. I had quite an 
experience when I caught Lena in my arms 
and tried to kiss her.” 

“Did you succeed?” Herman asked. 

“Succeed nothing ! The little vixen drew back 
and hit me a whack between the eyes which made 
me see stars. When I recovered my vision of 
surrounding objects I found she was gone — had 
seceded.” 

“From all which,” Herman replied, “I should 
judge that your wooing was not a conspicuous 
success.” 

“Well, you might have been served the same 
way if you had been there.” 

Both laughed, and took another drink of 
brandy. 

“By the way, Herman,” said Fritz, “have you 
met Aglae and Lola lately?” 

“No, and I think it best to avoid them for a 
while. They think we are going to marry them, 
and if they find we are after the Dedrock girls, 
the very old devil will be to pay! If they have 
fooled themselves, it isn’t our fault. We were 
just amusing ourselves by sparking them. They 
are bright, handsome girls, but there’s no money 
in marrying them.” 

“We can resume the amusement when we get 
tired of the brides-elect,” said Fritz. “I hope 
they won’t find out about the other girls.” 


86 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“They’ll never hear of it,” responded Her- 
man, lighting a cigar, then adding : “By the way, 
Fritz, there is a man from the Black Hills stop- 
ping at the Great Western Hotel who thinks he 
knows one card from another. He has lots of 
money, and when he asked me if there was any 
show to get into a little game I told him about 
this saloon, and he has promised to come here 
with me to-morrow night. Now, can’t we man- 
age to dose him and get his wad ?” 

“By all manner of means, bring him along. 
I’ve got the prepared liquor and the marked 
cards.” 

“Very well, I’ll bring him here late to-morrow 
night. Now, I’ve got something else to tell you. 
Gus Monk and the rest are going at that job to- 
morrow night, and when it is over they are com- 
ing here for a ‘divvy.’ ” 

“All right, so that we get our share. Small 
favors thankfully received, and larger ones in 
proportion !” 

The musicians were now ready to depart, and 
after promising to be on hand next night, they 
went out. When at a safe distance the woman 
said: 

“Well, Signor Anselmo* they don’t suspect us.” 

“No, Lola, our disguises were too perfect for 
that.” 

“I knew them for a pair of traitors, but had 
no idea that they were such abandoned wretches 
as they prove to be.” 

“Nor I, but I expect we will see and hear much 
more to-morrow night.” 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 87 


CHAPTER XII. 

MIDNIGHT MISDEEDS. 

Business at the Arcade Saloon increased rap- 
idly, until Fritz had a smile on his face. The 
music was a great drawing card, which added 
many dollars to the receipts of the proprietor. 
True, but little of the music could be heard be- 
cause of the tumult in the room; but the two 
musicians played on, a dreamy look in their eyes 
and with an appearance of unconcern. An addi- 
tional barkeeper had been added to the force, and 
all were kept busy attending to the wants of the 
throng which filled the place on this evening. 

A few of the most exacting creditors had been 
paid off, and others who called for their money 
were so favorably impressed with the evident 
large patronage and prosperity of the establish- 
ment that they departed without demanding it. 
It is a curious fact that in nearly eVery business 
the proprietor who happens to encounter a period 
of stress and diminished trade, finds no leniency 
at the hands of his creditors; whereas, while he 
happens to have a successful run, he finds them 
in no hurry for their pay. When no accommoda- ' 
tion is needed the average creditor extends le- 
niency; but, if sorely needed, refuses it and 
drives his debtor to the wall. 


88 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

The evening passed about as the previous one, 
and when the hour for closing the doors arrived 
a lunch was, as before, set out for the musicians, 
and while they were partaking of it Herman 
Schwabel entered, accompanied by a middle-aged 
stranger. 

The doors had been closed, some of the lights 
turned down and the day’s business was sup- 
posed to be over ; but, as a matter of fact, it was 
just beginning, as the most interesting and best- 
paying part of the work was now to commence. 

Mr. Smith was introduced to Volrath, who was 
most cordial in greeting the stranger. He was 
a corpulent man, with black eyes, hair and whis- 
kers and of a ruddy complexion. Of course, the 
introduction of a stranger to the proprietor of a 
saloon always means an appearance of the drinks, 
or at least an offer by the latter to treat; and so 
Fritz forthwith “set up the drinks,” and noted 
with satisfaction that Mr. Smith partook liberally 
of the drugged liquor, while he himself emptied 
his glass into a convenient spittoon behind the 
bar, untasted, and Herman avoided the difficulty 
by taking beer. 

A gentle rap on the front door was heard, and 
Fritz hastened to unlock and open it, admitting 
two gaudily dressed young women, who, with 
sinuous movements, glided into the room, while 
he carefully closed and relocked the door. The 
young women were blandly greeted and wel- 
comed by Fritz and Herman, the latter immedi- 
ately introducing Mr. Smith to the fair visitors, 
designating them as “Beauty” and “Fairy.” Both 
of the girls were attractive in form and feature. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 89 

“Beauty” was voluptuous, with dark dreamy 
eyes, oval face and rose-tinted complexion ; 
“Fairy” was not so dazzling, although she was 
equally interesting, of delicate features, of a slen- 
der, willowy form and spirituelle face. 

After listening to Fritz’s excuse for not going 
with them on the steamboat excursion, “Beauty” 
asked him what he usually did when his best 
friends called on him, and he answered that, in 
such cases, he always “set ’em up.” The girls 
took wine, and Mr. Smith took another drink of 
the drugged liquor, with a merry jest. 

The Italians had finished their lunch and were 
preparing to leave, when Beauty noticed them, 
and suggested to Fritz to ask them to favor the 
company with some music. Upon Fritz’s request 
to that effect, they keyed up their instruments 
and struck up a lively schottische. 

Volrath and Schwabel at once seized upon the 
two girls, and the two couples went whirling 
around the room in the most approved style. 
This continued for some time, with frequent 
changes of music and partners, while Smith 
leaned against the bar, watching the dancers, till 
he began to feel the stupefying effect of the 
drugged liquor, when he seated himself on a 
chair, leaned over on a table and seemed to sleep. 
Lola watched the dancers sharply, her mind filled 
with disgust and resentment, her abhorrence of 
the scene became more intensified, when Her- 
man and his partner took seats near her and held 
the following conversation: 

“Oh, Herman, what a delightful dance! And 
what splendid music ! You say the Italians can’t 


90 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

understand German; that’s good, for I want to 
talk confidentially with you. You keep telling 
me that you love me to distraction, and yet you 
keep postponing the public acknowledgment of 
our marriage which was secretly performed. 
Now I have heard that you and Fritz are in love 
with a couple of dressmakers, up town, and I 
want to know what it means.” 

“It means that you have been misinformed. 
We have been going with them a few times, but 
there is no love in it, as we don’t care a cent for 
them. You ought to know that you are the only 
girl that I love. I will publicly acknowledge you 
as my wife as soon as some money matters are 
settled, which will be soon.” 

“Money makes the mare go, and if that is all I 
can wait. But I have been miserable on account 
of what I heard about you and those dress- 
makers.” 

“Don’t let that trouble you. They are not our 
style. What do we want of them when we’ve 
got such' superior wives as you and Fairy?” 

“That’s the kind of talk I like to hear. Her- 
man, dear, you’ve made me awfully happy 1” 

She leaned heavily against his breast, and their 
lips met in a sensual kiss, which was followed 
by many more of the same kind. 

Here Fritz and his partner approached them, 
and proposed a four-handed game of cards. 

Herman declined to play, saying he would pre- 
fer to be a spectator; so Fritz aroused the drunk- 
en Smith, and induced him to take a hand in the 
game, which he said was merely for amusement, 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 91 

with small stakes, “so as to make it interesting, 
you know.” 

They surrounded a table, and Herman took a 
position so that he could watch Smith’s hand and 
communicate its contents to Fritz by means of 
signs. 

The game was an even thing for some time, 
when the girls declared they were weary and 
would quit. But Smith insisted that he and Vol- 
rath would continue the play a little longer. 

Now they played for larger stakes. Smith lost 
heavily, owing to the disadvantages under which 
he labored; for, he was too drunk to detect the 
swindling tricks which were being practiced upon 
him, or to play with his usual skill. At the end 
of an hour’s play he had lost $700, and Fritz was 
the gainer by that amount. During this time, 
too, he had imbibed some more “prepared” liquor 
and had now become absolutely drunk. He was 
left to himself, for a time, and, unable to sit up, 
had slipped off his chair onto the floor, under 
the table, where he lay totally unconscious. 

The music had been continued in slow, meas- 
ured tones all this time, and the performers had 
the sleepy appearance of the tired professional 
footlight orchestra players, manifesting no con- 
cern about their surroundings. 

Two distinct raps, twice repeated, were heard 
at the back door. Fritz, Herman and the two 
girls exchanged significant looks and winks, as 
the saloon keeper proceeded to the door, opened 
it and admitted three sinister-looking men, then 
closed and locked it again, and went behind the 


92 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

bar. The new-comers walked up to the bar. Her- 
man and the two girls also came up. 

The three visitors were Gus Monk, Sandy 
Burk, and Pete Wrenn, two of whom are not 
unknown to the reader. Monk and Burk looked 
the same as of yore, excepting that passing time 
had left its imprint upon them. The one named 
Pete Wrenn was a beardless youth, appearing 
prematurely aged, whose face wore a hard, 
vicious expression. Fritz leaned over the coun- 
ter, and in a low tone asked: “What success, 
Gus Monk?” 

“A grand success,” Monk answered, signifi- 
cantly tapping a package which he held under his 
arm. “Yes,” he repeated, “a grand success, and 
no clue left by which to trace us. We cracked 
the crib and nabbed the swag — a cool $20,000 in 
cash — in perfect safety. We had no trouble in 
making an entrance with our skeleton keys ; and, 
the combination, which you secured from the 
cashier, was an open sesame to the interior of 
the safe. A good night’s work, by .” 

All this was spoken in a subdued tone, but the 
sharp, attentive Italians had grasped every word. 
Here Fritz interposed, in a whisper: “Hush! 
wait a minute, Gus, until I pay off the musicians 
and dismiss them,” which he quietly proceeded to 
do, but entirely too late, for the good of the gang, 
as the sequel will show. 

In paying the musicians he told them he would 
not need their services any more at the saloon, 
but that he would pay them $50 to go out in the 
country and play at a wedding on the following 
Sunday, They agreed to his proposition and ar- 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 93 

ranged to meet Herman and himself at the sa- 
loon, early on Sunday morning. The Italians left 
and Fritz returned to the bar, saying: “Bully 
for you, boys! It is my treat to the best in the 
house; so, what will you have?” 

“Nothing cheaper than -French brandy,” re- 
plied Monk. The drinks were had, when they 
took up the broken-off conversation, as Fritz 
handed around a box of cigars, and asked: 
“Well, Monk, how about the ‘divvy’ on this 
deal?” 

“I think that we three who did the real work 
ought to get nearly twice as much as you all, 
whose help was indirect. Is that satisfactory?” 

“Yes, that is about right,” they admitted. 

“Then, here are $20,000, in gold and paper 
money. We three claim $12,000, leaving $8,000 
to be divided between the others, as follows: 
Beauty and Fairy, for roping into the saloon the 
bank cashier, $2,000; Pat McGinty, for arrang- 
ing to keep the coast clear of police and med- 
dlers, $1,000; Fritz and Herman, for securing 
the combination to the safe and furnishing head- 
quarters, $5,000. 

Then they gathered around the table, where 
Monk made the distribution of the stolen money, 
upon the basis mentioned. Each one pocketed his 
or her share. 

All at once Monk noticed the motionless figure 
of Smith on the floor beneath the table, and 
gasped: “Say, Volrath, is that duffer on the 
floor there really drunk or is he playing ’pos- 
sum ?” 

, “Drunk as a lord,” Fritz assured him, . 


94 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“All right, then, else we would have to ‘quiet* 
him.” 

“Don’t worry about him,” responded Fritz. 

“Fve got an idea, boys!” Monk announced, 
suddenly bringing his fist down on the table, as if 
to emphasize his remark. 

“Say, boys, Monk’s got an idea!” interjected 
Pete Wrenn, laughing derisively. 

“That’s something that you’ll never be ac- 
cused of having,” Monk retorted. 

“My idea is this : We might use that stupefied 
stranger as a scapegoat, to cover our tracks. 
There will be a hell of an uproar in town to-mor- 
row, about this affair, and the officers might get 
on to us, some way. To divert suspicion, let’s 
stuff this duffer’s pockets with the paper securi- 
ties from the bank, which are worthless to us be- 
cause not safe for us to negotiate; also the safe 
combination card, and strap our kit of burglars’ 
tools onto his back; then take the old fellow out 
the back way and through the alley, up to the 
next street, which is in McGinty’s beat. I will 
take Mack his money, and put him on to the 
racket so that he can take him in to-morrow 
morning as a suspect.” 

Monk’s idea was agreed to and instantly acted 
upon. 

When the two Italians left the saloon they de- 
termined to remain in the vicinity and spy upon 
the gang inside. Turning in at a gate they 
groped along the wall to a window with a broken 
shutter, through which they could see and hear 
all that transpired within. Later, they saw Smith 


T heMountain Castle Mystery 95 

captured by McGinty, and put in a patrol wagon, 
to be conveyed to the lock-up. Then they went 
to their respective homes, but for the present it 
was agreed that they would tell no one about 
what they had discovered. 


9 6 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XIII. 

DIPLOMACY. 

At the farm house all was stir and bustle. The 
preparations for the anticipated wedding were 
pusned forward by the three young ladies with 
incessant industry, while Frau Augusta busied 
herself in the kitchen with indefatigable zeal, 
highly elated at the prospect of having the prob- 
lem solved upon the lines proposed by old Jacob 
and herself, the pair having deluded themselves 
into the belief that the question was finally set- 
tled according to their wishes. 

Dena and Lena had no objection to this delu- 
sion being hugged by the old folks, for the pres- 
ent, as it was the means of amply replenishing 
their most scanty wardrobes, but with some mis- 
givings, they anticipated a stormy scene, which 
appeared inevitable, at the climax, when the 
scheme was doomed to collapse. 

Aglae had already discovered the real state of 
affairs, and had entered with zest into the plans 
of the girls. She had, also, by letter, apprised 
Lola and Anselmo of the true situation, and all 
was working along as well as could be expected. 
Without enlightening the Dedrock girls about the 
relations which had existed between herself, her 
sister and the two city swells, she had shown up 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 97 

to them the true character of those unsavory 
youths. The sympathetic co-operation she mani- 
fested in their course was the basis of a sincere 
friendship which had become established between 
Algae and the young country girls. 

The old people were not expecting a visit of 
the Pagets, and were out in the field at work 
when the young men arrived. Therefore, the 
latter enjoyed a long and pleasant visit with their 
sweethearts, during which all explanations were 
made, and a complete understanding was reached 
as to the joint and separate actions of all of them, 
at the ensuing wedding under whatever circum- 
stances it might occur. 

At length Aglae entered the room and was in- 
troduced to the young men, after which she an- 
nounced that the old folks were coming, and 
suggested that the two girls return to the work- 
room, and leave her to introduce the Paget broth- 
ers to them upon their entrance, which, after a 
kindly adieu to their lovers, they hastened to do. 

Mr. and Mrs. Dedrock entered, both glower- 
ing suspiciously at the young men, and glancing 
inquiringly at Aglae, who politely introduced 
the visitors to them, after which she discreetly 
left them together. The old lady, merely nod- 
ding to the Pagets, stiffly passed on to the kitchen. 

A painful silence ensued. Dedrock, upon be- 
ing introduced, had slightly nodded, and asked 
them brusquely to be seated, without offering to 
shake hands with them, an omission which, in 
country circles, is generally regarded as ex- 
tremely ill-mannered and churlish. 

“Mr. Dedrock/' Ernest said, “my brother and 


98 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

I have called this morning to see you about a 
matter of vital importance to us. I have formed 
an attachment for your daughter Dena, and be- 
lieve she returns my affection; and Michael has 
fallen in love with Lena, and is sure that she 
loves him in return. We, therefore, ask your 
sanction of these engagements, and your permis- 
sion to marry your daughters.” 

“My daughters are now making preparations 
to marry Fritz Volrath and Herman Schwabel 
to-morrow. I have given my consent to the ar- 
rangement. The matter is settled, and I have no 
idea of changing about. Neither shall the girls 
change their minds at the last moment.” 

“But, Mr. Dedrock, we positively know that 
the girls do not love these men; we hope to per- 
suade you to reconsider your decision, before 
you wreck the happiness of your daughters, by 
forcing them to marry men whom they not only 
do not love, but for whom they have feelings of 
repugnance.” 

“Nonsense! This statement is made because 
you two fellows have been trying to persuade the 
girls to marry you. The young men they are 
going to marry are all right. They are wealthy, 
otherwise suitable, and love my daughters dearly. 
They will make them good husbands and the girls 
will love them after a while and thank me for 
my firmness in refusing to heed the trumped- 
up stories of two beggars.” 

“Hold on!” exclaimed Ernest, with difficulty 
restraining his indignation at this unprovoked 
insult; “you call us beggars, and I know we are 
not rich, as the world goes, but 1 am satisfied 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 99 

that we can show up more cash than the men you 
favor. If we can convince you of this fact, will 
you agree to their marrying us?” 

“How much money can you show up by to- 
morrow at ten o’clock?” asked old Jacob, cau- 
tiously. 

“Ten thousand dollars; and, as your only ob- 
jection to us seems to be your idea of our alleged 
poverty, we hope for your consent to marry the 
girls if we can produce the amount of money 
named.” 

Dedrock fidgeted around in his chair for a few 
minutes, uneasily, without speaking, and Ernest 
continued : “In regard to our characters, of 
which you have a right to be informed, we can 
show you the very best of recommendations from 
several prominent business houses in New York 
City. We have testimonials with us.” 

“Let me see them.” 

The Pagets drew a number of letters from 
their pockets which they handed to him. He in- 
spected them carefully, and, after returning 
them, said: 

“These papers appear to be genuine, and I 
have no doubt you are well enough from a per- 
sonal standpoint ; but I must have some evidence 
that you will be able to support your families. I 
don’t care to take two sons-in-law on my hands 
and have to support them.” 

“You need not be uneasy on that point, for we 
will see, to it that our wives are properly sup- 
ported. We are industrious and do hot squander 
our earnings. We can show you the amount 
stated, which ought to convince you we have the 


ioo The Mountain Castle Mystery 

means to maintain our wives respectably. Can 
we have your consent to marry them?” 

Dedrock really liked the appearance and evi- 
dent good character of the young men, as he con- 
trasted them with Volrath and Schwabel, whose 
characters he knew were not above reproach. If 
these young men could show their financial capa- 
bility to the extent mentioned, why not let them 
marry the girls, especially as the latter seemed to 
favor them and oppose the others ? It would re- 
store harmony, and might be better for all con- 
cerned. Finally he told them that no poor men 
should marry his daughters; that if they could 
show that they had $10,000, they were not poor 
men, and that he did not propose to take their 
word for it, but if, on the following day at ten 
o’clock, they could show him said sum of money, 
they would have his consent to marry the girls; 
otherwise, the previous arrangement would be 
adhered to. A condition which he also insisted 
on was, that Ernest and Michael should not meet 
or speak to either of the girls, until the hour set 
for the wedding. This being settled, the young 
men took leave of him and rode away. 

As they rode along the highway Ernest said: 
“It is disreputable to enter into such an arrange- 
ment, but it is the only way to deal with that 
avaricious old man. We can’t afford to lose our 
sweethearts, on account of a point in ethics.” 

“No, but it seems base to force us to bargain 
for his daughters, just as though he was selling 
them to the highest bidder. I despise such work 
and wish there were some other way without this 
bargaining and deceit.” 


^The Mountain Castle Mystery ioi ’ 

< 

“So do I, but there is none. We must carry 
out the program as arranged, for that seems to 
be the only way to save those sweet girls from 
the trouble that is brewing for them.” 

“I don’t like the arrangement, but I suppose the 
end justifies the means.” 

“So do I detest the entire proceedings, but I 
doubt not the brewer and the saloonist have prac- 
ticed measures far more reprehensible to gain the 
consent of that sordid old man.” 

“Say, Ernest, I can’t understand how such 
noble-minded and amiable girls can be the daugh- 
ters of such mean, narrow-minded and unprin- 
cipled parents.” 

“Neither can I, and I have often thought of it. 
There is not a point of resemblance between them 
and their parents in any respect.” . 


102 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XIV. 

A TEMPORARY LOAN. 

An elegant farmhouse, situated on the border 
of a beautiful, blooming prairie, which com- 
manded a fine and extensive view of large farms 
and handsome residences, for several miles away, 
was the home of the wealthy farmer, Samuel Bel- 
den, whose rescue, together with his two young- 
est daughters, from impending disaster, by the 
daring and dexterity of the Paget brothers, was 
mentioned in a previous chapter. 

Although the old gentleman had sustained no 
serious injuries in the accident, yet he had re- 
ceived such a “shaking up” on that occasion that 
he was considerably disabled, and was now un- 
able to get around in his accustomed sprightly 
manner. Yet, several days had passed, and now 
he was almost recovered from the shock to his 
system. Jennie and Kate had emerged from the 
accident unharmed, and rejoiced in having had 
at least one exciting adventure to relieve the 
monotony of the placid life to which they were 
accustomed. 

Mr. Belden, his wife and two daughters, were 
seated in the parlor, conversing about the run- 
away accident of the previous week. He re- 
marked ; 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 103 

"Now that I’m able to be about again, I think 
I will drive over to see the Paget boys. I don’t 
want them to think me ungrateful for the great 
service they rendered us, at the risk of their 
lives. I learn that they are poor young men; 
therefore, I propose to offer them a suitable pecu- 
niary acknowledgment, which I hope they will 
accept.” 

“Just like you, Samuel,” his wife replied, with 
an approving smile, “to be always planning to 
benefit the deserving poor. But this is not a case 
of charity; it is really a debt, an obligation, which 
should be repaid in gratitude — and money. It 
would be well if all the well-to-do people held the 
practical views of social ethics that we do, for 
then many talented and ambitious youths without 
means, would be aided to rise in the world. With- 
out the intervention of wealthy and influential 
friends, and without resources of their own, they 
often become discouraged and fail. In this case 
the more liberal you are the better I will be 
pleased.” 

“Don’t doubt but that I will do them justice, 
my dear. My only fear is that their native pride 
will prevent them from accepting any reward 
other than our thanks. Handsome young men 
that they are, I fancy they would not go unre- 
warded, but for the fact that the affections of 
our daughters are already bespoken by those two 
dashing city clerks. Eh, girls ?” 

“Quite likely, father,” Jennie replied, “for, in 
novels, the hero of an adventure always falls in 
love with the heroine, and the romance of the 
situation always induces a return of his regard. 


104 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

But in this instance, both heroes and heroines are 
handicapped by previous engagements. This 
fact causes a break in the record/’ 

“Are the Paget boys engaged to be married?” 

“Yes, father, I have heard, confidentially, that 
Ernest is engaged to Dena Dedrock, and Michael 
to her sister, Lena ; although the engagements are 
not sanctioned by the parents of the girls; but, 
like the rule in novels, it seems, there are two 
villains who are conspiring to cut the Pagets out. 
The girls’ parents favor the villains, because they 
have money, the girls favor the poor suitors, re- 
gardless of their poverty, because they are 
worthy, and detest their rich admirers, because 
they are depraved; while the mercenary parents 
purpose to compel their daughters to marry the 
villains.” ' 

“Quite a complication, I declare! Then that 
accounts for the presence of these young men at 
Bedrocks, when they came to our aid so oppor- 
tunely. Old Jacob is a mean, crafty, mercenary 
skin-flint, ignorant, stubborn and coarse. His 
daughters, on the contrary, are remarkable for 
their intelligence, amiability, good sense and lady- 
like deportment, as well as for their exceptional 
beauty. It is an open secret in all the country- 
side that the old folks do not permit the girls to 
associate with poor young men, and that they in- 
tend to marry them off to monied men. But, who 
are the suitors whom the parents favor?” 

“A pair of would-be high-toned city swells — 
Fritz Volrath and Herman Schwabel, the former 
a saloonist and the latter a brewer’s son, both 
disreputable drunkards and gamblers. But their 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 105 

money overbalances other considerations with old 
man Dedrock.” 

“Here come the Paget boys now,” said Kate, 
who was sitting near a front window. 

“Good!” replied Mr. Belden, “I am glad they 
have come. I will step out and meet them,” 
and, a minute after, he was shaking hands with 
the young men and expressing his gratification 
at their visit; and all three seated themselves on 
rustic chairs, in the shade of a tree, in front of 
the house. 

Have you recovered from the shock you ex- 
perienced in the overturning of the wagon?” 
Michael asked. s 

“Oh, yes, I think so ; it laid me up for a while, 
but I am all right again.” 

“Sorry that you were disabled by the accident, 
but glad that you have recovered from it,” said 
Ernest. 

“It is a mercy we were not all killed, yourselves 
included,” Mr. Belden remarked, adding: “And 
now I want to recompence you both for your 
heroic service. I hope you will not, through 
pride, decline my offer, for, even though I pay 
you a pecuniary reward, I will still owe you a 
debt of gratitude.” 

“Mr. Belden, we think the consciousness of 
having done a good deed is its own reward. If 
we served you to the best of our ability and op- 
portunity, and thereby averted a threatened dis- 
aster, we only did our duty. To have done less 
would have been culpable remissness. We thank 
you for the offer, but could not think of accepting 


io6 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


a pecuniary reward for simply doing our duty/’ 
Ernest replied. 

“While it would please me/’ said Mr. Belden, 
“if you would accept a liberal reward, and while 
I regret that you do not feel like accepting it, yet 
I must admit your position is the correct and 
honorable one. But, aside from that, is there no 
other way in which I can serve you ?” 

Mr. Belden had, in his last remark, hit the nail 
on the head, as it were, for that was exactly their 
situation. They had never before needed help as 
urgently as now. 

Ernest answered that there was one way in 
which he could aid them, if he would, which, 
without loss to him, would be of great benefit 
to them; and he proceeded and gave an outline 
account of the whole Dedrock affair, including 
that mercenary individual’s ultimatum, and asked 
if Mr. Belden would kindly lend them $10,000 
to exhibit to Dedrock, on Sunday, the money to 
be faithfully returned to him on Monday. 

“Most certainly, you can have the money,” Mr. 
Belden replied ; “it is a capital idea, and the only 
way to match him. A good way, too, to pay him 
off in his own coin. It is a deception, but it will 
be a blessing in disguise to Dedrock, and a bless- 
ing, real and apparent, to the two girls and your- 
selves. On your part, there will be no fraud; 
for, he stipulated that if you would show him ten 
thousand dollars at a certain time, he would sanc- 
tion your union with his daughters, and with- 
draw his consent as to your rivals. You comply 
with his requirements by showing that amount of 
money. Whether or not the cash is yours is not 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 107 

in issue; for that is none of his business now, as 
he did not set that out in his proposition. I sup- 
pose that he takes it for granted that possession 
is ownership. Let him think so. He cannot have 
the marriage rescinded afterwards, nor interfere 
with his daughters, for you will become their le- 
gal protectors by marriage. Yes, you can have 
tne money, which you can return to me on Mon- 
day. Meet me this afternoon at the Empire 
Bank.” 

That afternoon Mr. Belden drew $10,000 from 
the bank, in crisp $1,000 bills, and handed the 
money to Ernest Paget, which he divided with his 
brother Michael. They placed the money in their 
bill books and deposited the receptacles in their 
inner pockets, at the same time thanking Mr. Bel- 
den for the accommodation. 

As they turned to leave the bank they noticed 
the sinister eyes of Pat McGinty, the “dhred 
hossifer av de law,” watching them intently, as 
he had stood near by and had witnessed the en- 
tire transaction. 


io8 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XV. 

AN EXCITING ENCOUNTER. 

The Paget brothers next went to the office of 
the county clerk, in the court house, where they 
applied for and received marriage licenses, in 
which occurred their own and the names of 
Dena and Lena Dedrock as contracting parties; 
and, upon leaving the office, encountered the pug- 
nosed policeman again, who passed in, and ap- 
proaching the clerk, asked : 

“Mister Wiggins, moight Oi be afther throub- 
lin’ yez ter infarm mesilf who is the young min 
as jist wint oot?” 

“Certainly,” replied the clerk; they are Ernest 
and Michael Paget, brothers, living out in Mogul 
township.” 

“Iz it weddin’ licencis they do be afther get- 
tin’?” 

“Yes, precisely that.” 

“An moight Oi ask, who ar’ de gurruls?” 

“The one named Ernest is going to marry 
Dena, and the one named Michael is going to 
marry Lena, daughters of old Jake Dedrock, of 
Mogul.” 

The clerk, as he glanced at the records to make 
sure he had given the names correctly, exclaimed : 
“By George ! Here’s a rum go. Two other men, 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 109 

Fritz Volrath and Herman Schwabel, have also 
taken out licenses to marry those very girls !” 

“Oich, an’ begorra, an’ that do be batin’ bob- 
tail! Oi guiss Oi’ll invite mesilf ter de weddin’. 
Whin duz it come off?” 

“To-morrow, at ten o’clock A. M.” 

“An’ is de faither av de two gurruls an’ like- 
wise faither-in-law ter de foor young min, rich ?” 

“Yes, as rich as a Jew, as stingy as a miser and 
as mean as a mule.” 

Pat McGinty left the court house and made 
long and rapid strides toward the Arcade saloon, 
cogitating how best to work his black-mailing 
schemes on all interested parties, as he went. He 
was also prepared to organize any kind of a con- 
spiracy, for the money that might come from it. 
He thought he had a good scheme now, and 
wanted some pals that he could “depind” upon to 
help him work it. 

As he entered the back door of the Arcade he 
found Fritz and Herman sole occupants of the 
room. He put on a very mysterious air and spoke 
to the two men who were playing cards, saying: 
“Hits mesilf what’s got some himportant news 
fer yez, but devil a wurrud wull Oi spake till yez 
drap thim karrads an’ set oop de dhrinks. Niver 
a bit do Oi loike ter rin me ligs off a bringin’ of 
bad news ter yez.” 

The card players jumped up, and Fritz rushed 
behind the bar and set out a decanter of brandy 
and a tumbler. He poured out and drank a quan- 
tity of the fiery liquor. Then he took out a hand- 
kerchief and wiped his perspiring face very 
deliberately. 


i io The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“Why don’t you speak out, man ? Why do you 
keep us in suspense? Have the officers got onto 
the bank episode ?” 

“Be-dad it be wur-rus nor that.” 

“Have they fished the dead merchant out of the 
river ?” 

“Niver a bit av that.” 

“Then what in the world is it ?* 

“Oi hiv alius been hones’ wid you fillers ain’t 
Oi?” 

“Yes, you have, Pat; but what’s the matter 
with you? Why don’t you tell us all about the 
matter ?” 

“Hev yez paid mesilf fer ol iv this throuble 
yit?” 

“No,” said Fritz, as he fumbled at his money 
drawer, “how much do you want?” 

“Oi shood say this jorrub orter be worth aboot 
a hundred dollars fer each of you fillers.” 

“The devil and Tom Walker! Do you take us 
for millionaires ?” 

“Devil a bit ! but, oz ther is aboot tin thousand 
dollars in cool cash, an’ two pretty girruls at 
stake, Oi think Oi hiv bin quoit rasonable in me 
demands, sure.” 

The two schemers nervously glanced at each 
other in dismay ; then, Fritz hurriedly handed Pat 
two $100 bills, and then said: 

“There’s the money ; now speak out, quick I” 

“But what about me sheer in de swag?” 

“Tell us something about the scheme?” 

“Wull, ther iz tin tousan’ dollars in cool cash a 
floatin’ aroond de sthrates here, besides a hape of 
hinteristin, hinfermation fer yez two fellers. We 


The Mountain Castle Mystery hi 


thra orter land they cash an’ ef Oi git one third 
av it, ther facts come fray to yez.” 

“It’s a go, Pat, we agree to divide equally with 
you. Now tell us all about it.” 

The three men took seats around a table, while 
Pat narrated all he had learned, to his astonished 
hearers; after which various schemes were con- 
cocted to get the $10,00 into their possession, and 
circumvent the Paget brothers, by getting the 
girls in marriage, next morning. They all arose, 
and Pat said: 

“Me sheer av the job iz ter rope thim two spal- 
peens into this salune, yez to do ther rist av it; 
whin Oi’m ter rin thim in, fer bein’ dhrunk an’ 
dishorderly. Thin aich av us iz to sheer equally 
in de gains.” 

“Yes, yes, it’s a go,” they eagerly responded, 
and McGinty went out to try and rope his in- 
tended victims into the saloon. 

After hunting around a good while, he found 
the Pag-ets in a store where they had purchased 
two suits of clothing, and were waiting for the 
bundles. Approaching them, he asked them if 
their name was Paget. 

They both regarded the sinister looking, pug- 
nosed policeman with suspicion, surprised that he 
should know their names, when Ernest an- 
swered : 

“Yes, that is our name, but you seem to have 
the advantage of us, as we don’t know who you 
are.” 

“Och! thet is ther thrick av me thrade, as Oi 
bees a hofficer av ther law, an’ it’s me biznizs ter 




ii 2 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

know iverybody. Me noime ez Pat McGinty, 
ther perlaceman, jist.” 

“ What can we do for you, sir ?” 

“A friend av moine, now loyin’ sick over the 
Arcade salune — pace ter hees ashes ef he dies — 
wants ter sind wurrud to hees mither, oot to 
Mogul township ; an’ bethinkin’ that yez live oot 
there, Oi thot yez wud take hees missage an’ re- 
save the gud mither’s blissin’. Wull yez sthop at 
the salune an’ take the irrind fer the sick mon?” 

“Yes, the place you mention is right on our 
way out of town, and we will call there to see the 
sick man, as you request. We are about ready to 
start and will be there soon.” 

The policeman thanked the young men volubly, 
and hurried back to the Arcade to notify the 
other conspirators of the success of his errand, 
after which he disappeared. 

A few moments afterwards the Pagets alight- 
ed from their buggy hitched their team, and en- 
tered the Arcade saloon. 

Volrath, Schwabel, Monk and Burk were the 
only persons the Pagets found in the place, and 
they were apparently deeply engrossed with a 
game of cards. 

As the young men entered, Fritz rose and went 
behind the bar, bowed, smiled, and asked them 
what they would have. 

“We did not call in for anything to drink, but 
to see a sick man whom Pat McGinty said was 
here and desirous of sending a message out to his 
mother, in Mogul township, where we live.” 

“O, yes ; he is up stairs, and the doctor is with 
him now, so you will have to wait a few minutes 


The Mountain Castle Mystery i 13 

until the doctor comes down when I will show 
you up to his room.” 

“Very well,” Ernest answered, “we will wait a 
bit.” 

“Landlord,” said Herman, rising and approach- 
ing the bar, “I would like to take a drink;” and 
turning toward the Pagets, as a decanter and 
some glasses were set upon the bar, saying, 
“strangers, won’t you take something with me? 
I never like to drink alone.” 

“We thank you very much, but beg to be ex- 
cused, as we do not indulge.” 

“Ah, indeed!” sneered Herman, “you couldn’t 
get any better liquor anywhere than this. I am 
sure that it is the best in town. Come, gentlemen, 
step up and take a drink.” 

“We must again decline, as we never touch any 
kind of liquor. I should think one refusal was 
enough.” 

Ernest was annoyed, not less at Herman’s per- 
sistency than the contemptuous looks exchanged 
betwen the habitues of the place. 

“Say, boys,” Herman said, “isn’t it considered 
an insult for any galoot who comes here to this 
respectable bar to refuse to drink when invited 
to do so?” 

“Ay, ay, you bet it is,” answered Gus Monk. 

“Come, Michael, let’s leave this place,” said 
Ernest, and they both started for the door. 

Herman sprang to the door, ahead of them, 
slammed it shut and placing his broad back 
against it, defiantly said : 

“Now, we will settle this little matter; for you 
don’t leave this place until you humbly apologize 


1 14 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

for your insult to me and the company, and take 
a drink with us.” 

The Paget brothers had an idea that the saloon 
crowd had simply taken them for a pair of 
greenhorns, and were merely guying them, for 
their own drunken diversion. Not knowing any 
of the four men, and having no knowledge of the 
scheme they had in hand, they did not imagine 
there was any design against them, other than 
frivolous tomfoolery and drunken raillery; but 
they thought this was being carried too far, so 
they began to get angry, and Ernest said : “Who 
are ydu that you dare to interfere with out right 
to go where we please?” 

“I am Herman Schwabel and that gentleman 
at the bar is my friend, Mr. Fritz Volrath; while 
the other two gentlemen present are friends of 
ours. We know you fellows well, and don’t pro- 
pose to be insulted by you. You will now apolo- 
gize and drink with us, or else, we will ” 

“Get out of the way, you scoundrel,” Ernest 
interrupted, “or, you will get your head hurt!” 
And he advanced toward Herman with a danger- 
ous look in his eyes. 

Herman gave the signal for the attack at this 
moment and started at Ernest, only to find him- 
self knocked sprawling, half-way across the room. 
The blow was the stroke of a master hand, for 
Ernest Paget was a powerful man, agile, active, 
and well skilled in the manly art of self-defence, 
while his brother was his equal in all points. 
They were not the kind of men with whom it was 
safe for rowdies to pick a quarrel. 

Fritz Volrath rushed from behind the bar and 


The Mountain Castle Mystery ii5 

was rapidly advancing on Michael Paget, when 
he saw the blow given which had laid out Her- 
man. He hesitated, but, seeing that Gus Monk 
and Sandy Burk were coming to Herman’s aid, 
Fritz sprang at Michael, about the same way that 
an overgrown yearling calf would spring at an 
agile billy-goat, and with about the same result; 
for, Michael moved quickly to one side, thus 
avoiding a vicious stroke, and then landed a tell- 
ing blow on the side of his antagonist’s head, 
which sent him over to one corner of the room, 
in a heap. 

The crestfallen scoundrels sprang to their feet 
again, just as Monk and Burk made a dive at the 
legs of the Paget brothers and tripped them up, 
throwing them on their backs. In a moment, the 
four confederates had succeded in pinioning the 
arms of the Pagets, and Fritz and Herman com- 
menced searching them for the money. 

At this juncture, the door was thrown open, 
with great violence, and the four ruffians, who 
were so busily engaged trying to rob the Pagets, 
found themselves lying on their backs, caused by 
the swift and heavy strokes of clubs in the hands 
of the two rescuers of the Pagets, when the lat- 
ter arose and the four men hastily left the room 
ere their four fallen adversaries had returned to 
consciousness. 

The Pagets asked their rescuers, to whom they 
were indebted for their deliverance, and they 
simply answered “friends,” and vanished around 
the corner. However, we will confidentially in- 
form the reader, who ought to know, that the 
Pagets’ deliverers were none other than Anselmo 


1 16 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

and Lola, in disguise, who from the suspicious 
movements of McGinty, and the Pagets’ visit to 
the Arcade, suspected that a trap was set for the 
latter, and they had arrived in time to frustrate 
it. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery i 17 


CHAPTER XVI. 

A NUPTIAL COMPLICATION. 

The momentous wedding day had arrived, 
bright and pleasant. All nature wore her most 
regal attire. The clear atmosphere was laden 
with the perfume of flowers and the scene was 
vocal with the songs of birds. 

Dena, Lena and Aglae had risen early and had 
busied themselves in decorating the front rooms, 
which made the farm house appear to the best 
possible advantage. Sleepless nights, care and 
anxiety had in some degree, subdued the natural 
exuberance of the spirits of the brides elect, had 
slightly paled their cheeks and in a small degree 
had dimmed the wonted luster and brightness of 
their glorious eyes. But their resolution and de- 
termination had neither weakened nor faltered. 
The girls were still mentally oppressed with un- 
certainty in regard to the result of the interview 
their lovers had held with Mr. Dedrock on the 
preceding day, as the young men had not com- 
municated with them since, at which they were 
greatly perplexed. 

As the tongue of time lingered on the stroke 
of ten, and the earliest of the guests were begin- 
ning to arrive, their hearts quivered with an un- 
definable emotion which was akin to fear, and the 


1 18 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


passing moments brought them apprehensions. 
But they had confidence that their own fortitude 
and tact and the address of their lovers would 
prove equal to the emergency. The possibility of 
an unpleasant struggle with parental authority, 
so near at hand, was not conducive to their men- 
tal tranquility. Yet, their purpose to absolutely 
refuse to wed the two scheming scoundrels, be- 
came still more intensified, if possible, when they 
saw Fritz and Herman drive up to the gate, with 
a great clatter and a display of fine ri^s and 
horses, accompanied by a host of their city 
friends, composed mostly of sporty gentry and 
ladies who hung to the border of respectability 
by a very frail tenure. 

The Reverend Nickodemus Scheuler next 
drove up at a more quiet pace, while the two 
Italian “minstrels” came in his wake. 

Gus Monk, Sandy Burk, Pat McGinty and 
Pete Wrenn were in the crowd. The entire city 
delegation was dressed in gala attire, displaying 
a vast amount of flashy jewelry and loud colors. 

Mr. Dedrock went out to one of the wagons 
and brought in a large keg of beer, which he pro- 
ceeded to open in the back yard, where much loud 
and lively talk was heard thereafter, as he 
handed the beer around and partook of it liber- 
ally himself. 

The would-be bridegrooms were dressed in the 
height of fashion; but, no amount of external 
adornment could conceal the traces of dissipation 
and sensualism so plainly discerned in their 
flushed and bloated faces. 

Soon after the arrival of the city people, a 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 119 

buggy was driven up to the gate, and two well- 
dressed, graceful and shapely young women, 
closely veiled, alighted, hitched their horses to 
the rack, entered the house and seated themselves 
in a dark corner of the room, as if to avoid public 
attention. Their presence occasioned much curi- 
ous comment as no one seemed to know them. 

The Italian musicians now took their places 
and were soon regaling the people with some of 
their delightful music, while as many of the 
guests as could, assembled in the front room to 
hear it. After playing, at some length, they laid 
aside their instruments, and Lola quietly left the 
room and joined her sister in the hall, whence 
Aglae conducted her up stairs and introduced her 
to Dena and Lena. The latter were delighted to 
meet her. Aglae had told them what she had been 
doing in town on their behalf, and they had al- 
ready come to love both the dress-makers, one 
from association, and the other because of her 
noble deeds for them. 

Lola washed the brown stain off her face, neck 
and hands, immediately donning one of her own 
pretty dresses, after discarding the fantastic 
costume in which she had been masquerading, 
when she looked superbly handsome. Dena and 
her sister declared they were fairly eclipsed by 
the bridesmaids, but the Italian beauties dissented 
from that opinion and maintained that the former 
were incomparable in beauty and loveliness. 

“They are becoming impatient, down stairs, at 
our delay,” Dena remarked, with a smile, “but 
we will not go down until Michael and Ernest ar- 
rive. I wonder what detains them; they will 


120 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


surely be here soon. They are not the kind of 
men to be thwarted by opposition and resistance.” 

“No,” Lena replied, “let’s keep them waiting 
awhile. Let those odious swells, down there, flat- 
ter themselves that we are going to marry them, 
until the ones we are to marry arrive and dispel 
their illusion. I want their humiliation to be 
complete and overwhelming. Perhaps, then, 
they will see themselves as others see them.” 

“The Lord grant it!” rejoined Lola, and the 
others laughed merrily. 

Outside, the irrepressible Pat McGinty had 
partaken freely of beer, and was feeling his im- 
portance to the last degree. He had come out to 
the wedding with the expectation of being able to 
“bleed” some of the party, and had selected old 
Jacob as a fit subject to operate upon; so he 
called the latter to one side, and with a mysteri- 
ous air, asked him if he was aware that four men 
had taken out licenses for the purpose of marry- 
ing his two daughters. He declared such pro- 
ceedings decidedly crooked, in the eyes of the 
law, and if, as was likely, it should be published 
it would prove a scandal which would injuriously 
affect all the parties concerned. He further stated 
that he, McGinty, and the county clerk, were the 
only persons who yet knew of this “sacrit,” and 
that, if Mr. Dedrock would pay him $100, on the 
spot, he would undertake to suppress and hush 
up the matter ; but, Dedrock not only refused to 
pay him anything, but threatened to set the dogs 
on him if he even mentioned the matter again. If 
the policeman had known how much old Jacob 


The Mountain Castle M ystery 12 i 


loved money he would scarcely have tried the ex- 
periment. 

In the mean time, the preparations for the wed- 
ding service were being made in the front room. 
The preacher took his stand, ritual in hand, the 
people crowded around, the would-be bride- 
grooms took positions, and an air of expectancy 
seemed to pervade the assembly. But the brides 
and attendants had not yet put in an appearance. 

Mr. Dedrock had re-entered the house and 
finding that everything was in readiness to pro- 
ceed with the ceremony, excepting the presence 
of the brides-elect, loudly called up the stairway, 
commanding the girls to be in a hurry. 

That minute the young ladies had noted the 
arrival of Ernest and Michael, accompanied by a 
country parson, all of whom were alighting near 
the gate ; and, knowing that the supreme moment 
had come, they descended to the parlor. They 
were very deliberate about this, and when they 
stepped into the room, Dedrock had disappeared 
in response to a summons by the Paget brothers 
who awaited him in the next room. 

Briefly the Pagets referred to their under- 
standing with Dedrock and exhibited to him $10,- 
000, which he carefully examined, and pronoun- 
ced himself satisfied. He admitted they had ful- 
filled the condition imposed upon them, and that 
their personal character and financial standing 
were fully established, in his estimation. 

He was then introduced to the Reverend Theo- 
philus Bland, who had accompanied them for the 
purpose of performing the marriage service 
Dedrock then suggested that they hasten to the 


122 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

parlor where such ceremony had already com- 
menced under other auspices. All four men then 
entered the crowded front room. But, here, we 
must revert to and describe the scene which was 
then transpiring. 

As Dena and Lena, accompanied by Aglae and 
Lola entered the parlor, they were met by many 
obsequious salutations, bows and smirks from 
the saloonkeeper and the brewer, who then exult- 
ingly felt safe in the accomplishment of their 
desires. 

A buzz of admiring comment was elicited from 
the crowd, by the beauty and elegant appearance 
of the brides and their attendants, everybody 
changing positions to get a better view of them, 
all of which created some confusion, which hav- 
ing subsided, the preacher cleared his throat, pre- 
paratory to commencing the service, and perfect 
silence for the moment fell over the crowd. 

After a brief prayer adapted to the occasion, 
he began to read the marriage service over ; but, 
when he arrived at that part where the condition 
is mentioned, that, if any person present know 
any valid reasons why the contracting parties 
should not wed, should then speak, else ever after 
hold their peace, Dena unfolded a paper and read 
therefrom a score of good, valid reasons why the 
marriage should not be consummated. 

Then Lena stated that all the reasons given by 
her sister were also applicable to her case. 

We will not here enumerate and set forth the 
reasons given, for the reader knows them full 
well. 

As the preacher and would-be bridegrooms 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 123 

looked aghast, the latter in dismay and rage, the 
crowd witnessing the unprecedented scene in 
curious wonder, the two unknown and veiled 
young women, who had entered an hour before 
and had quietly remained in a dark corner, arose, 
walked to the front and boldly denounced Fritz 
and Herman, claiming to be their wives and de- 
manding to be by them acknowledged as such. 

“You’re not our wives,” snarled Fritz Volrath, 
in exasperation and shamfacedness, “we repu- 
diate you and your claims, as it was a bogus mar- 
riage.” 

‘The wedding was a farce,” echoed Herman, 
“and is not binding on Fritz and I. Stand back, 
we want no more to do with you !” 

By this time excitement was at fever heat, and 
the honest old farmers present began shouting 
for a rope with which to hang the scoundrels to 
a limb of the big oak tree in the front yard, when 
Fritz and Herman, with a woe-begone expres- 
sion, and a crestfallen air, sneaked out through 
the crowd, and the back door ; and ere their re- 
treat had been detected, the sound of wheels out 
in the road attracted the crowd to the front win-' 
dows, where they saw the two rascals driving off 
at a furious rate, at the same time looking back 
and shaking their fists in impotent fury. j 

The balance of the visitors from the city, also/ 
immediately departed, in' a mood far from agree- 
able, as though they had been caught in a com- ( 
promising affair. f 

After good order had been restored, Ernest Pa- 
get arose and explained the situation to the agita- 
ted throng which still remained after the city 


124 TheMountain Castle Mystery 


guests had left. He worded his remarks so as to 
exonerate, as far as possible, the elder Dedrocks' 
connection with the affair, and wound up by say- 
ing that the people had attended for the purpose 
of witnessing a wedding and that they should not 
be disappointed. 

Thereupon, the Rev. Bland forthwith arranged 
the positions of the bridal party, and proceeded 
to marry Ernest Paget to Dena Dedrock, and Mi- 
chael Paget to Lena Dedrock, this time without 
interruption from any one. 

Then followed the sincere congratulations of 
all present, even including Jacob and Augusta. 

Afterwards, dinner was announced and the 
large crowd was soon surrounding the tables and 
doing full justice to the ample supply of viands. 

The rest of the day was passed delightfully. 
Thus the stormy scenes of that day ended in a 
calm and serene happiness for some of our lead- 
ing characters. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery *1125’ 


CHAPTER XVII. 

THE UNKNOWN RELATIVES. 

The two cottages, devoted to the occupancy of 
the newly wedded young people, stood upon op- 
posite sides of the highway, the farms abutting 
thereon, and extending back some distance there- 
from. The houses were plain and unpretentious 
but new, neat and convenient. They were inex- 
pensively but suitably furnished; so, the two 
couples found everything essential to good house- 
keeping at hand, when they took possession of 
their new abodes. They had been fortunate 
enough to safely emerge from the late nuptial 
complication and rejoiced that no seriously un- 
toward event had occurred to thwart their plans 
or menace their felicity; and, that the old folks 
had, at the last moment, yielded to their wishes 
and had, with apparent cheerfulness, acquiesced 
in the logic of the latest situation. 

Ernest and Michael had, on the afternon of the 
day following the wedding, driven out to Mr. 
Belden’s and returned to that amiable gentleman 
the money he had loaned them; who in response 
to their profuse thanks for the favor, congratu- 
lated them on the successful issue of the affair, 
and assured them, if, at any time, they should 


126 TheMountain Castle Mystery 


need financial assistance they had only to draw 
on him at sight. 

From there they visited the places where each 
had previously sojourned, took in their trunks 
and conveyed them home. 

They found their wives at Ernest’s home, and 
not alone, for three visitors in the persons of An- 
selmo, Aglae and Lola had called. The three 
friends had come from Mr. Dedrock’s, and had 
called upon their new friends, before taking the 
evening mail coach to the city. 

Tea was presently announced, and all seated 
themselves around the table to partake of the 
evening meal. All were in the best of spirits, and 
their conversation was happy and congenial. The 
conversation happened to touch upon the defeat 
of the city swells, in their nefarious schemes. For 
the first time, the young husbands told their 
wives of the set-to which they had been engaged 
in with Fritz, Herman and their pals; and all 
agreed that they were liable to have trouble yet 
with those fellows, who would hesitate at nothing 
whereby they could obtain revenge for their late 
humiliating defeat. 

After tea, all returned to the parlor, where at 
the request of Dena and Lena, seconded by their 
husbands, Aglae sang some quaint Italian songs, 
rendering them feelingly and melodiously, ac- 
companied on the violin and harp by Lola and 
Anselmo. The music was grand and inspiring, 
and was received with delight by their small audi- 
ence. Ernest was, at the conclusion of the exer- 
cises, constrained to remark : “Italy is the favored 
land of song, in which her children proverbially 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 127 

excel. Music to the Italians, comes as naturally 
as to the song birds, and no wonder, for it is the 
land of sunshine and of flowers, of all that is at- 
tractive and beautiful in nature and in art. 
Their surroundings are calculated to please the 
eye, the ear, the sensibilities, and the climate is 
perfection itself ; therefore, it is no marvel that 
where everything abounds which tends toward 
comfort, pleasure and happiness, the soul of an 
Italian should find its truest expression in mu- 
sic.” 5 

“And yet,” Aglae replied, “although Lola and I 
delight in music as much as Anselmo, who is a 
full blooded Italian, or any other native of that 
country, we are but half Italian, the other half 
being German.” 

“Indeed, you surprise me,” exclaimed he, glan- 
cing from one to the other, as if by comparison, 
to distinguish German traits of feature and form 
in the persons of the two dark, beauties ; “still, I 
fancy I notice distinctive German points in your 
features, and have noticed the purity of your ac- 
cent, when speaking our language, not usually ac- 
quired by foreigners. From your name, I infer 
that your father was an Italian, and from what 
you say, that your mother was a German.” 

“You are quite right,” Lola assented, “our 
father was Count Leo Guivano, of Modena, Italy, 
while our mother was a native of Dresden, Ger- 
many.” 

“Dresden, Germany?” questioned Ernest, with 
aroused interest. 

“Dresden, Germany !” echoed Michael. 

“Even so,” she said, in surprise. ‘'Were you 

ever there?” 


128 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


“No, Michael and I were born and reared in 
New York, and were never on the other side of 
the Atlantic; but both our parents were from 
Dresden. What was your mother’s maiden 
name ?” 

“Elsie Paget,” she rejoined; “and now it has 
occurred to me, from the coincidence of the 
name, and of your parents’ coming from Dres- 
den, that we may possibly be relatives. If it is 
really so, we can readily know, for Lola and I 
have but one living relative at Dresden, a retired 
merchant, a bachelor uncle, named James Paget.” 

“Michael and I have but one relative at Dres- 
den,” said Ernest, ‘'likewise a retired merchant, 
an eccentric bachelor uncle named James Paget.” 

“Then we are cousins !” declared Aglae. 

“I am sure of it!” coincided Lola. 

“I have no doubt that you are right,” asserted 
Ernest. 

“Nor I, either,” chimed in Michael. 

The Mesdames Paget, who had attentively lis- 
tened to the foregoing colloquy, came forward 
and embraced their husbands’ hitherto unknown 
relatives, coupled with many endearing expres- 
sions, evincing the pleasure and gratification they 
felt at the unexpected acquisition. Warm per- 
sonal friends they had already become, but to 
have them for relatives constituted an accession 
of happiness not anticipated, but none the less ac- 
ceptable to the young brides. Ernest arid Michael 
also expressed the great pleasure the revelation 
had given them, and shook the shapely hands of 
Lola and Aglae, as well as of Anselmo. 

“How strangely has the knowledge of our re- 


/ The Mountain Castle Mystery 129 

lationship been manifested. The idea had never 
occurred to us, and we would have remained per- 
manently in ignorance of it, but for having been 
employed by Mrs. Dedrock in our capacity of 
dressmakers, and subsequent meeting with you 
four. But how does it happen that we meet so 
strangely in this far-off land ? It looks like fate ! 
We come of two old families of Saxony and 
Italy. What ill fortune banished us from our an- 
cestral halls and consigned us to penury and ad- 
versity? What propitious fate reunites us now. 
It looks like an augury of better days.” 

“It might interest you girls to know our per- 
sonal history,” said Ernest, “and I will give you 
the merest outline.” 

“Our grandfather, John Paget, who was a 
widower with three children, two boys and one 
girl, at the period when the daughter was eigh- 
teen years of age, lived in Dresden, where he had 
accumulated a vast fortune in the mercantile busi- 
ness, and wias in advanced years. Of the three 
children, our father, Henry, was the oldest. 
Henry was intended to succeed his father in busi- 
ness, while Tames was to take up the banking 
business. The daughter, Elsie, married a distin- 
guished Italian count and accompanied him to 
Italy. 

“Our father, Henry, incurred the displeasure 
of his father by marrying a poor but estimable 
girl, and was promptly disinherited. James was, 
upon the death of grandfather, bequeathed the 
entire estate, excepting an inconsiderable portion 
which went to Elsie. With this rank injustice 
which the old man had perpetrated rankling in 


130 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

his bosom, Henry, with his wife migrated to New 
York, where the rest of their lives were passed, 
and where Michael and I, their only children, 
were born and reared. 

“Father commenced merchandising in a small 
way, and, in time built up a large business house 
with several branches. Michael and I were given 
a business education. 

“One of those periodical business panics occur- 
red two years since, in which thousands of busi- 
ness concerns were swept out of existence, that of 
Henry Paget & Co., among the rest. 

“Within a year of the collapse of his business 
and his consequent change from opulence to pen- 
ury, both our parents had succumbed to disease 
and died. For a time thereafter, Michael and I 
maintained ourselves by such employment as we 
could secure, but such as we had, not proving re- 
munerative, we came to the west.” 

“Your story is a sad one, said Aglae, “but 
scarcely more so than ours. Lola and I grew up 
amid grandeur and luxury, in the very shadow o f 
the throne, as it were. The Count, our father, in- 
herited his titles and estates from a long line of 
ancestors. From early manhood he had been a 
conspicuous figure in public and official life. But 
he had bitter, implacable enemies, who sought his 
overthrow with all the satanic craft of malignant 
natures. Their opportunity came, when a rebellion 
had broken out. These enemies, by perjured 
testimony, implicated him in the treasonable up- 
rising. Their web of circumstantial evidence was 
artfully woven. He, of all men had ever been 
most loyal to the crown; but that fact availed 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 131 

him nothing, as against their perjury and bribery. 
He was seized, placed in irons and underwent the 
mockery of an exparte trial, for treason, by a 
prejudiced tribunal, and was unjustly convicted. 
His titles and estates were confiscated, and he 
was given the sentence of perpetual banishment 
from the realm. 

“He had one true and steadfast friend, a dis- 
tinguished lawyer, named Rudini Morenci, who 
believed in his innocence, and who stood by him 
from first to last, but for whose efforts he would 
have been executed ; but this lawyer secured him 
the less ignoble sentence which he received. 
Mother, Lola, I and Anselmo accompanied him in 
his banishment. 

“We embarked upon a government boat, at 
Genoa, and were landed at Marseilles, France. 
We afterwards reached Paris. 

“Father now had three objects to live for: first, 
to preserve his family from want; second, to 
secure a reversal of the sentence against him, and 
third, to wreak summary vengeance against his 
enemies. A true Italian, it is to be presumed that 
the last reason outranked the others. Within the 
next two years he had killed six of his enemies 
in bloody duels, fought on French soil, and 
through his and our advocate and friend, Mor- 
enci, had started the ball rolling in Italy, for a 
reversal of the decree of confiscation and banish- 
ment. 

“A new dynasty had come in, and we were be- 
ginning to hope for favorable results, when the 
cholera scourge swept over Paris, in which our 
parents both perished. 


132 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

"Accompanied by Anselmo, we came to Ameri- 
ca, and to Emporia, here; having a little money 
left, we bought a house and lot and embarked in 
the trade of dressmakers, which we have since 
followed, with a moderate degree of success.” 

"The mail coach is coming,” Anselmo an- 
nounced from the door, where he had been watch- 
ing for it. 

The coach was hailed, and the three Italians 
hastened to get aboard, after exchanging kindly 
adieus with their newly found relatives. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 133 


CHAPTER XVIII. 

DASTARDLY DUPLICITY. 

“Just the man we wanted to see!” exclaimed 
Fritz Volrath, grasping the extended hand of 
Jacob Dedrock, and shaking it vigorously. 

“The very man we were looking for !” echoed 
Herman Schwabel, also shaking hands with him. 

The three men had met on the sidewalk, in 
front of the Arcade, a few days subsequently to 
the wedding episode. 

Old Jacob looked from one to the other, in- 
quiringly, and remarked: “If it is anything con- 
cerning Dena and Lena that you want to speak to 
me about, you might as well keep silent ; for, al- 
though I went back on our agreement and 
changed my plans, I had reasons for so doing. 
Besides, it is too late now, to recall it; as the inci- 
dent is closed and the girls are now in other 
hands.” 

“My dear sir,” said Fritz, affably, “while we 
feel that you didn't treat us quite square, yet, we 
don’t hold any resentment against you for the 
course you saw fit to take. We are generous 
enough to waive all differences and be again on as 
friendly terms as though nothing unpleasant had 
happened. Please walk in the saloon, where we 
can have a few moment’s friendly conversation.” 


134 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“All right, boys/' answered Dedrock, much 
mollified, “since you are not angry because of 
what has happened, neither am I, and I am will- 
ing to be on as friendly a footing with you as 
ever.” 

They entered the saloon and seated themselves 
at a card table in a remote corner of the room. 
Obedient to a signal of the proprietor, the bar- 
tender brought out and set before them a decan- 
ter of brandy, a pitcher of water and some 
glasses. 

“Pitch in!” Fritz suggested, and the glasses 
were soon filled and emptied. 

“Mighty good liquor, this,” declared Fritz; 
“have another, Mr. Dedrock, for, you have come 
a long way, over dusty roads, and must be dry.” 

Thus urged, Dedrock drank again, and yet 
again. 

By this time he was becoming badly inebriated, 
and made a futile effort to appear sober, by 
steadying himself by the arms of his chair. 

“Well, Mr. Dedrock,” Fritz replied, “what we 
wanted to see you about, was to show you how 
basely you have been humbugged by the Paget 
brothers.” 

Old Jacob leaned forward, stared at the speak- 
er, and huskily asked : 

“Wat — wat’s ze matter wiz zem?” 

“Matter enough! They are frauds. You ac- 
cepted them, and went back on us, because you 
thought them rich, while the fact is, they are 
nothing but a pair of beggarly paupers.” 

“You are mish-mishtaken ; they are honest and 
rich. I seen their testimonials and monish/* 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 135 

“Their testimonials were probably forged by 
themselves, and the money they showed you, to 
convince you of their wealth, was borrowed of 
Mr. Belden for that special occasion. Dedrock, 
you have been badlv duped,” 

“Who told you — now you find it out ?” 

“I’ll tell you. Belden’ s hired man was in here 
the other day, got gloriously drunk, and gave the 
whole snap away.” 

“So ! Then the Pagets are a bad lot. But wat 
can I do aboudt it now, hey? They’ve married 
mine girls and got mine broperties to boot.” 

“What if they have? How? Why, by false 
pretences! Then, of course, you can get your 
property back, take the girls home and kick the 
two imposters off your farm. That’s what you 
can do. 

“Dunder un blitzen ! Dat’s shust vat I’ll do ! All 
right. Such rascality! The longer you lives the 
more you find, py chiminy, oudt !” 

“I am glad you’ve got some spunk. But how 
will you manage it ?” 

“O, I’ll shust send the Pagets to town to-mor- 
row, to haul out some lumber, and while they’re 
gone, I’ll go for mine broperties, you bet !” 

“That’s right ! I wish you success. But, are you 
going? Good-by, then.” 

“Good-by,” old Jacob returned, as he staggered 
out through the doorway and disappeared on the 
street. 

“Say, Fritz,” said Herman, as soon as Dedrock 
had left, “I know by what you suggested to the 
old man, that you’ve got some scheme afoot. 
Now, what is it?” 


136 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“You’re right, I have,” Fritz answered, a sar- 
donic expression flashing in his evil countenance 
“Yes, I’ve got a plausible scheme, one which will 
yield us no end of fun and excitement, and enable 
us to wreak revenge upon those who have put us 
to such disadvantage. It is this: 

“You know, Dedrock intends to send the Pa- 
gets to town, to-morrow, upon a pretext, to give 
•him, unopposed, an opportunity to raid their 
places, in order to seize and carry off the property 
with which he has endowed them. He probably 
thinks that Dena and Lena, when stripped of all 
their household effects, live stock and implementSv 
and under threats of their husbands being driven 
off, will be glad to betake themselves to the home- 
stead, and relinquish their husbands. In that he 
is woefully mistaken. For their lives, they would 
not return to the paternal roof under such circum- 
stances. Neither will they willingly part from 
their husbands. Then will come our opportunity 
to abduct the brides, bring them to the city, place 
them in a secure retreat known only to ourselves 
and Mag Mullen, who is a trustworthy old hag, 
who will do anything for money. A close car- 
riage, one of us, disguised as a driver, and the 
other as an elderly messenger, will appear at the 
Dedrock place to-morrow evening, and terrify 
the brides with a realistic story of an accident 
said to have befallen their husbands, while in the 
city, and that, we had been sent in haste, to bring 
the young women to the bedsides of their dying 
husbands. Don’t you see? The latter will be 
only too glad to put themselves in our power. A 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 137 

deeping potion, some rapid driving and it’s done! 
Now, how is that for high?” 

‘‘Fritz, you’re a genius, a born schemer!” ex- 
claimed Herman, approvingly; “but you must 
know we can’t keep the girls here long, without 
discovery. Their husbands would soon get on to 
us.” 

“Well, we, ourselves need a vacation, just now, 
on account of the late burglary, the agitation over 
it is becoming rather hot, and I propose that we 
embark in our house-boat for the sunny south, in 
company with the two girls, old Mag and the rest 
of our crowd.” 

“Good!” exclaimed Herman, just the thing.” 

“Then, as you are agreed, we’ll consider it 
settled; and, to make the necessary arrange- 
ments.” 

The two villains took a drink to the success of 
their scheme and went away together. 

When Dedrock reached home that evening, he 
had a lengthy interview with Augusta, to whom 
he stated the substance of what Fritz had told 
him in regard to the Pagets, and as both their 
minds were narrow enough to run in the same 
contracted groove, she approved of his plan of 
dealing with the case. The old people were so 
ignorant of the legal relations of husband and 
wife and of mariage and divorce, that they took it 
for granted that they could, at their option, set 
aside these marriages, recover the property, com- 
pel the girls to return home, and banish the hus- 
bands. Such dense ignorance and baseness is 




The Mountain Castle Mystery 


phenomenal, but the elder Dedrocks were not re- 
markable for honesty, intelligence or decency. 

Therefore early the next morning, Dedrock 
called on the Paget boys and requested them to 
take their teams and haul two loads of grain to 
the city and bring out a couple of wagon loads of 
lumber. Anxious to please their father-in-law, 
they decided to set aside their own business to ac- 
commodate him. They were purposely delayed, 
and got a late start, so that the trip would be pro- 
longed into the evening. 

The bright, happy young wives stood by the 
gate, watching the departure of their devoted 
husbands, until a bend in the road took the teams 
and men out of sight; while their pretended par- 
ents were even then approaching, bent upon 
wrecking their happy homes. 

“Well, upon my word !” exclaimed Dena in sur- 
prise, “there come father and mother ; where can 
they be going?” 

Dedrock and Augusta, seated in their wagon, 
came driving up, and stopped in front of the 
house. 

“Going to town, too, father ?” Lena asked. 

“No, this is as far as we are going,” he an- 
swered somewhat curtly, alighting and tying the 
halter to the hitching post, while Augusta clam- 
bered down from the wagon and approached the 
gate. 

“Oh, you thought we would be lonesome in the 
absence of our hubbies, and have kindly come 
over to pass the chay with us;” warmly spoke 
Dena, adding, “and I think it very good and con- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 139 

siderate in you to do so. Now, we will have a 
splendid visit. Walk in, walk in.” 

Both young women flew about and set out 
chairs for the old folks, who seated themselves, 
both appearing unusually taciturn. 

“No, we didn’t come on a visit, we just came 
on business;” frigidly answered he, after hesita- 
ting a little. 

“Business?” questioned Dena and Lena, in a 
breath. 

“Yes, business ,” he brusquely replied; then 
hesitated, as if undecided how to broach his er- 
rand. “You see, it’s like this; the scamps you 
call your husbands secured my consent to their 
marriage with you by false pretenses, they pre- 
tending to be men of means, to prove which, they 
showed me $10,000, that they had borrowed for 
the occasion, which fraud has been exposed, and 
now we know them for a pair of swindling, beg- 
garly paupers.” 

The two young wives, with pallid faces, arose, 
stood side by side, an arm of each passed around 
the other’s waist, the disengaged hand of each de- 
precatingly raised as if to ward off a deadly 
blow, as Dena defiantly asked : 

“Well, waiving your brutal calumny against 
our beloved husbands, in their absence, what are 
you going to do about it ?” 

“In the first place, we’re going to get shut of 
them scamps, and then take you girls and every- 
thing we’ve given you back home again ; that’s 
what we’re going to do,” he asserted. 

“Yes, that’s what we’re going to do,” echoed 
Augusta. 


140 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

“If you begrudge what you’ve given us,” de- 
clared Lena, “take all the things back, although 
we think we have earned them by long years of 
hard work and drudgery ; but as for us, you can- 
not separate us from our husbands.” 

“I swear it shall be as I said,” asserted the old 
man grimly. 

“Yes, it shall be so,” Augusta declared. 

“Well, Augusta, let’s commence to load up the 
things,” the old man said peremptorily, “and by 
the time the houses and yards are stripped of 
everything, the girls will see it to their interest to 
change their minds.” 

The old couple set about the removal of the 
personal property, from both places to the home- 
stead, Augusta trudging back and forth, helping 
to load and unload the goods. 

Both houses were finally emptied of everything 
excepting Ernest’s and Michael’s trunks, into 
which their wives had packed their own clothing, 
jewelry and articles of virtu. 

The farm implements were next hauled away. 
Then the two cows were driven off, by Augusta, 
while old Jacob carried a calf, which was too 
young to travel, in his arms. Everything which 
the Dedrocks claimed had been removed and the 
two farmhouses looked desolate indeed. 

The two young wives were too independent and 
indignant to be bowed down with grief. They 
considered the whole performance of the old 
folks as mean, abominable and unjustifiable. 
They resolved to cut adrift from the Dedrocks. 
and to follow the fortunes of their worthy hus- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 141 

bands, even should that way lead through poverty 
and destitution. 

Before going for the last load, Jacob and 
Augusta had a little talk about how to induce the 
“girls” to abandon their husbands and return to 
the homestead, as they had expressed themselves 
very decidedly in the negative on both proposi- 
tions. Augusta expressed grave doubts about 
their ability to enforce their commands in 
these respects. She said it ought to be settled 
before the Paget’s return or it would then be 
too late. Dedrock said: “We must pretend 
to agree with them, as though we do not in- 
sist upon it, and then induce them to come 
to the house and go to the upper room to 
examine the box of jewels and small garments 
they wore when we received them from the 
strangers in Saxony, of which I shall first in- 
form them, as well as what little we know of their 
history. Shall offer to give them the trinkets if 
they will come and get them. Their curiosity will 
bring them at once, and once in the house, they 
shall be kept as prisoners till their husbands leave 
the neighborhood, and the girls themselves agree 
to stay with us. I have secured the room so they 
can’t escape. Now let’s go over and interview 
them.” 

As the old folks drove up to the gate, they 
found Dena and Lena standing there, as if await- 
ing the return of their husbands. The old pair 
got down and approached them, old Jacob re- 
marking : 

“Well, girls, I’ve got all my property back, and 
if you want to come home and give up your no- 


142 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

account husbands, all right! What do you say?” 

“I say, answered Lena, with spirit, “we will 
not! They are our husbands, and we will never 
desert them. Such parents as you two are ! You 
have treated us, your daughters, most shamefully. 
May God forgive you !” 

“Hold on ! Don’t get excited. Keep cool. What 
we do is for your own good, and filial ties don’t 
cut any figure in this affair, for we’re not your 
parents.” 

“Not our parents !” exclaimed Dena, in aston- 
ishment. 

“Not our parents!’ echoed Lena in bewilder- 
ment. 

“No, we’re not,” he declared, doggedly, 
adding: “while it is true that we have raised you 
from childhood, and have passed you off for our 
own children, yet you are no kin to us.” 

“Thank God !” Dena fervently exclaimed. 

“Yes, bless the Lord!” added Lena. 

“You ought to be more grateful to us, for 
bringing you up, and doing as well as we have for 
you,” interposed Augusta, stung by their flip- 
pancy. 

“Pardon us, if we seem ungrateful,” said Lena 
in a more conciliatory tone than she had before 
used; for she instantly realized that the turn the 
conversation was taking was likely to still further 
anger the old folks and cause them to withhold 
information which she was now eager to know, 
and which they alone could impart, so she added : 
“We have always considered you our parents, and 
your sudden and unexpected announcement to the 
contrary, fairly astonishes us. Now, as you have 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 143 

told us this much, will you please proceed and in- 
form us who are our parents, where they are, and 
whether they are living or dead ?” 

“I don’t know who your parents are, or any- 
thing about them/’ said he, “but I only know that, 
at the time we were leaving Germany, for 
America, a tall, florid complexioned man, a total 
stranger, who called himself Hans Bunderson, 
made arrangements with me to take you with 
us. He gave us no information about you, ex- 
cepting that he was not your father. Two moun- 
taineers, supposed to be bandits, brought you to 
us just when we were about to leave, and we took 
you along. You were dressed in very fine clothes, 
and each of you wore a fine gold necklace, with 
locket attached, your names engraved on the 
backs, diamonds set in the fronts, and containing 
the pictures of a man and woman inside, sup- 
posed to be your parents. The things I speak of 
are in a little box, upstairs, in the north room. If 
you care to have them to keep, climb into the 
wagon and ride over to the house with us and 
get them.” 

The two young women had listened to the story 
with bated breath, and at it’s conclusion, they 
both exclaimed: “Yes, we’ll go, by all means;” 
and forthwith, all four got on the wagon and 
rode to the homestead. 

With flying feet the girls went up the stairs and 
into the back room, where soon they were busily 
engaged examining the necklaces, lockets and 
small embroidered dresses all of which they had 
taken from a small wooden box. 

While thus employed the door of the room was 


144 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


suddenly closed, locked, and they found them- 
selves imprisoned in their old home. 

“They’ve locked us in, and made us prisoners,” 
said Lena, in dismay. 

“The perfidious wretches!” Dena exclaimed; 
“I was so anxious to see and secure these relics, 
that I never suspected them of treachery.” 

“Neither did I ; and now, I see, they have taken 
the precaution to fasten down the windows, so it 
is impossible for us to get out of this room. But 
never mind; the boys will soon have us out of 
this, whenever they learn that we are imprisoned. 
Let’s take it cooly and not worry.” 

“Oh, Dena, come to the light of this window, 
and see the tiny pictures in these lockets. The 
man’s face is grand and good; and that of the 
woman is beautiful and sweet — why, Dena, she 
strongly resembles you !” 

“Then th<*y surely are our parents, and we were 
stolen from them.” 

Their conversation was here interrupted by the 
rattle of wheels and loud voices outside. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 145 


CHAPTER XIX. 

THE ABDUCTED BRIDES. 

A closed carriage, with Fritz Volrath as driver, 
and Herman Schwabel as a portly, elderly gentle- 
man, both in appropriate disguises, left Emporia 
late in the afternoon, as previously contrived be- 
tween those unsavory youths; and, a few miles 
out, overtook the two Pagets, who were seated 
upon their loaded wagons and leisurely driving 
homeward. The latter did not recognize their 
enemies, and only gave their rig a cursory glance 
as it whirled past them. 

An hour later, the miscreants had reached the 
Paget homes, and, observing that both were de- 
serted, drove on up to Dedrocks, where they ex- 
pected to find their intended victims. 

The carriage rattled up and stopped in front of 
the house, when the old folks came out, to ascer- 
tain what was wanting. They did not recognize 
their two city friends, in their disguise, much to 
the relief of the latter. 

“Are you Mr. Bedrock?” asked the disguised 
brewer. 

“Yes.” 

“Are the wives of Ernest and Michael Paget 
here ?” 

“Yes; what about them?” 


146 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“Well, I will tell you our errand, and then you 
can gently break the news to them. The Pagets, 
their teams and wagons got smashed up, by a 
switch engine, as they were driving across the 
tracks. Their horses were killed, the wagons 
demolished, and the men are badly injured, being 
fearfully mangled. The physicians declare that 
they cannot survive the night. The young men 
are conscious and have implored us to bring their 
wives without delay.” 

“All right,” replied Dedrock, as he re-entered 
the house, at the same time wondering how much 
loss the accident would cause him, and if he could 
recover damages from the railway company ; but 
secretly rejoicing in the prospect of getting rid of 
the Pagets so easily. So he briskly ascended the 
stairs, unlocked the door and astonished the im- 
prisoned brides with an abrupt announcement of 
the alleged accident. The ladies needed no urg- 
ing, to expedite their departure. Seizing their 
handbags, into which they had already packed the 
relics of their childhood, they hastened down and 
out to the waiting carriage. 

They did not cry out, nor evince any outward 
signs of the mental agony they suffered, save by 
their blanched cheeks and bloodless lips, indica- 
tive of frozen horror and acute anguish. 

The disguised brewer, without a word, ushered 
them into the carriage and entering, closed the 
door. The disguised saloonkeeper, perched upon 
the driver’s seat, drew up the lines, cracked his 
whip over the horses, and the carriage rolled 
away, city-ward. 

Within the carriage was utter silence, except- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 147 

ing an occasional sob or sigh from the sisters, 
who sat entwined in each other’s arms, mingling 
their sympathetic tears together. Their sudden 
affliction was too heart-rending and overwhelm- 
ing for demonstration. Only the small griefs 
and petty ills of life seem to evoke loud and 
vehement lamentation and an effusive display ol 
emotion. Shallow natures, like shallow streams, 
make the most noise. But deep, sensitive natures 
are alone susceptible of heights of rapture merg- 
ing into sublimity and depths of woe darker than 
death and more agonizing than physical torture, 
all unexpressed. 

Twilight was being replaced by the darker 
shades of night, when the carriage gave the right 
of way to two oncoming, heavily loaded wagons. 
And little recked those deceived but faithful 
young wives, that the forms they believed 
mangled, almost past recognition, in yonder city, 
were at that moment passing within a few feet of 
them. And still less those sturdy, true-hearted 
young men thought, that, the beings they loved 
better than life, were unwittingly being borne 
away by a pair of conscienceless villains and 
being lured to impending ruin. 

An hour later, as the carriage was nearing 
the city, the intense but suppressed nervous ex- 
citement with which the young women had been 
imbued was having a reaction which manifested 
itself in hysterical weeping; which afforded the 
brewer a pretext which he had awaited patiently, 
of offering them some wine, in a bottle, which he 
produced, and suggested that they take a drink 
therefrom, in order, as he told them, to brace 


148 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

them up, alleging that it would never do for them 
to go into the presence of their unfortunate hus- 
bands, with nerves unstrung and their self pos- 
session all broken down ; that they ought to thus 
fortify themselves for the trying ordeal imme- 
diately before them. This counsel from the vener- 
able-looking man before them, they accepted in 
good faith, so they both drank some of the wine, 
and returned to him the bottle. 

At first the wine appeared to be beneficial, for 
it seemed to give them warmth and strength, in 
lieu of the faintness which had threatened to 
prostrate them; but, by degrees, a sense of langor 
began to steal through their systems, and an ex- 
treme drowsiness, against which they opposed the 
resistance of their wills ; but all in vain, for in a 
few moments more they were utterly unconscious. 

The carriage halted in an obscure quarter of 
the city, in front of an old, dilapidated house, 
from which the figure of a female emerged and 
advanced to the vehicle, where Volrath and 
Schwabel were standing. 

“Well, Mag,” Herman said, “we’ve got ’em. 
Now lead the way, and show us the rooms you 
have prepared for their use, while Fritz and I 
carry the beauties in.” 

The helpless, inanimate young women were 
then removed from the carriage, and carried in 
the strong arms of their abductors, up a flight of 
creaking steps, through a squalid living room, 
and into an adjacent apartment, where they were 
deposited upon a slovenly bed, and the three con- 
spirators returned to the first mentioned room. 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 149 

old Mag locking the door upon the unconscious 
victims. 

“Mag, is the room secure against their making 
their escape?” Fritz asked. 

“You bet it is,” she answered with a leer; “the 
only danger of their escaping is through my ten- 
derness of heart, which cannot withstand the 
pleadings of lovely females in distress!” 

“Ha ! ha ! ha !” laughed both men, Fritz saying : 
“If that is their only hope, they will be held 
securely; take good care of them and we will re- 
lieve you of them to-morrow night.” 

The two scape-graces returned to the carriage, 
which immediately disappeared. 

As soon as the coast was clear, Lola Guivano, 
in male attire, arose from a stooping posture, near 
the stair steps, and glided away. 

At the Dedrock farm house, the two old people 
were taking their evening meal and discussing the 
matter of “getting shut” of the Pagets and re- 
suming their control of the “girls.” 

“I am well pleased with the turn the affair has 
taken,” he said, “for now, if the Pagets die, the 
girls will be free of them without the trouble and 
expense of securing a divorce; and as we let the 
girls go to town to see them die, they will be 
willing to come back and live with us, as they 
will have nowhere else to go. After a while they 
will be glad to please us by marrying Fritz and 
Herman.” 

“Yes, I think so too,” she replied, “and I am 
glad we are so well out of the scrape. As the 
girls can never find out who their parents were, 


1 50 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

they will be dependent upon us, work for and 
obey us. I tell you what, I mean to put them 
through ! But hark ! ” 

She paused abruptly and listened, for the noise 
of wagons and voices outside was heard, and a 
minute later, the door flew wide open and Ernest 
and Michael Paget entered, greatly excited and 
menacingly glaring around the room, with an air 
of combined surprise, inquiry and indignation. 

On the other hand, the old folks were fairly 
paralyzed with consternation at the sudden and 
unexpected appearance of the young men, and 
stared at them fixedly, as if they deemed them 
ghostly visitants. 

Ernest was the first to speak. Though greatly 
perturbed, he calmed himself enough to say : “We 
found our houses divested of everything and de- 
serted, so we came on here to enquire into the 
matter. In the first place, where are Dena and 
Lena?” 

The old man appeared too woefully confused 
for utterance, but finally managed to articulate : 

“Gone to Emporia.” 

“Gone to Emporia? When, why and how did 
they go there ?” Michael demanded. 

“Dedrock, gradually recovering his equanimity, 
replied: “They went this evening, in a closed 
carriage, which you must have met on the 
way, in company with two men, one old, the other 
young, that you fellows sent after them.” 

“It is false! We did not send for them. Will 
you explain yourself, Mr. Dedrock?” Ernest 
said. 

“Yes, but keep cool. Don’t be excited and I 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 151 

will tell you all about it,” he answered with ex- 
asperating deliberation. “The girls were here, 
about sun-set, when two strangers, with a covered 
carriage, drove up and told us you fellows had 
been all smashed up by a locomotive in town, 
horses killed, wagons demolished, and you sup- 
posed to be fatally injured, and that you had sent 
for the girls, post-haste.” 

“It is a damnably contrived plot by Volrath and 
Schwabel, to decoy our wives to the city, in our 
absence from home, for base purposes. The two 
men we saw with the close carriage, were doubt- 
less those scoundrels, in disguise,” Michael de- 
clared. “Did you recognize the men, or either of 
them ?” 

“No, I didn’t,” doggedly replied old Jacob. 

“At all events,” Ernest said, “whoever has per- 
petrated this outrage shall meet a fearful retribu- 
tion, whenever we find them out. By the way, 
Mr. Dedrock, can you inform us who has pillaged 
our homes and premises of everything belonging 
there ?” 

“Yes, I did,” he answered with the utmost cool- 
ness and bravado. 

“Ah ! I thought so ; why did you do it ?” 

“To get even with you fellows for your game 
of false pretenses; when I found you out, I took 
the goods back and the girls home.” 

“Were they willing to return to your house, 
and abandon us?” Ernest asked. 

“No, they were awfully obstinate about it; but 
when I told them we were not their parents, and 
we had some trinkets which they had when we 
got them in Germany, they were willing to come 


152 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

and get the things, so we locked them in an upper 
room, for a while, but, afterwards, when the 
carriage came for them, they left with it, to go to 
your funeral as we all supposed. When they find 
out it was a false alarm, they'll come back and 
will have to come home, but you fellows want to 
make yourselves scarce!” 

“Well, I declare!” said Ernest, here is a case 
of ignorance, stupidity and impudence unparal- 
leled. The case looks bad and may yet be judici- 
ally investigated. You admit enough crookedness 
to jail you, and I am inclined to think you are in 
complicity with those city rascals in this latest 
outrage against the rights and liberties of these 
married ladies, by conniving at, or instigating 
their abduction, which is a criminal offence. Now 
we will not be unduly hard on you unless we find 
you had a hand in this abduction; which, if you 
had, you will soon be playing checkers with your 
nose in the penitentiary. I warn you of that. 
Beware !” 

The Paget brothers indignantly left the house, 
and leaving the teams for Dedrock to care for, 
they went directly to their Fate residences, carried 
their trunks out to the highway, and, an hour 
later, boarded the stage coach for Emporia, where 
they arrived at or near midnight and put up, 
temporarily, at a hotel. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 153 


CHAPTER XX. 

TURNING THE TABLES. 

Early the following morning, Ernest and 
Michael, having breakfasted, sallied forth, with 
the intention of applying to the police authorities 
for assistance in trying to discover the where- 
abouts of their missing wives. 

Just then, they met Signor Anselmo, to whom 
they made known the affair which had brought 
them to the city, and he advised them to proceed 
to the house of Aglae and Lola, while he would 
hunt up the chief of police and bring him around 
there for a consultation. 

The Paget brothers, therefore, went directly to 
the dressmakers, and were surprised at the looks 
of anxiety depicted in their faces, as Lola asked: 

“Were Dena and Lena abducted and brought 
to the city by Volrath and Schwabel, last night ?” 

“They were brought to the city last night, by 
two men, whom we- believe to be those villains, 
disguised as messengers, with a bogus message, 
but how could you know anything about it ?” 

“Why, you know, I am an amateur detective. I 
have lately been shadowing those wretches, to 
keep track of their movements for fear they es- 
cape before the officers have all the arrangements 
made for their arrest for the bank burglary. I 


154 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

knew they owned a house boat, which lies at the 
river bank, and thought they intended to skip 
that way. Disguised in male attire, I saw them, 
also disguised, procure a livery rig, yesterday, and 
start for the country. In the evening, I took a 
pony and road cart and went outside the city 
limits on the road they had taken and waited for 
their return. After awhile they came along and 
when they had passed me, I followed their car- 
riage into town and kept close in their wake, until 
they brought up at the resort of one Mag Mullen, 
a cyprian, who was evidently expecting them, for 
she came out to the carriage ; then they lifted two 
unconscious women out, and carried them into the 
house, the old hag leading the way. I had left my 
pony in a nearby alley and then hid by the door- 
way, where I heard them giving the woman 
orders about guarding the girls and promising to 
relieve her of them to-night. I recognized their 
voices as those of Volrath and Schwabel, but it 
was too dark to recognize anyone by sight. When 
you two came in, just now, looking so worried, I 
thought of Dena and Lena.” 

Anselmo and the chief of police entered, and 
after being introduced to the Pagets, the latter 
stated to them that he had for some time had the 
saloonkeeper and brewer under surveillance, and 
that Lola had placed him in possession of facts 
which convinced him that those rascals were the 
abductors of the ladies, and that the two fellows 
and their pals were meditating to skip to-night, 
most likely in their boat, down the river. That 
for a day or two, provisions and other things had 
been put aboard. To delay them, he had caused 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 155 

a strong wire to be attached to the middle of the 
boat, under water, so that they would have trouble 
in getting off and facilitate their capture. He said 
it was too bad that the ladies had to remain, 
prisoners all day, but if he released them, the 
gang would take warning and scatter, making 
their capture doubtful. He said the ladies would 
be in no danger, as Volrath and Schwabel would 
be afraid to visit the house where they were im- 
prisoned, in the daytime. He, after telling the 
Pagets and Anselmo to be in readiness by dark to 
go with him and his men, took his departure. 

The two prisoners slept soundly and did not 
awaken until noon of the following day, so pow- 
erfully had the potion they had unwittingly im- 
bibed with the wine demoralized their faculties. 

Both ladies arose to a sitting posture, looked at 
each other, and at their squalid surroundings, in 
a dazed sort of way. 

“Where are we, and how came we here ?” Dena 
asked, putting her hand to her forehead, and try- 
ing to collect her scattered senses. 

“I don’t know what house we are in,” answered 
Lena, “but I can see from the window that we are 
in the city. The last thing I remember of was the 
fact of our taking some wine which the seeming 
old man assured us would serve to steady our 
nerves which were fearfully unstrung, while we 
were nearing the city. The wine was drugged. 
I judge, by the direction of the sunlight that 
streams in that little window, that it is now noon.” 

“My impression exactly,” Dena replied, “and 
now I believe the story of the alleged railroad 
accident was a wicked fabrication, invented by 


156 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

our enemies for the purpose of getting us into 
their power. If not, why were we drugged and 
brought to this dismal place? If the doors and 
windows are fastened, that settles it.” 

They forthwith examined the doors and win- 
dows, and found them all securely fastened. 

"Just as I expected,” declared Dena, "and I 
verily believe this outrage is the work of Volrath 
and Schwabel, and that the two men who decoyed 
us to town were those scoundrels in disguise.” 

"My opinion to a dot,” rejoined Lena. "It is a 
high-handed proceeding, and there will be no time 
lost in bringing them to justice. Ernest and 
Michael will suspect the right men at once. I 
dread the inevitable delay. But the scamps will 
not dare to visit us in the day time, for fear of 
being shadowed.” 

"I think we are having more than our share of 
trouble, anyway,” reflectively remarked Dena, 
"the harrowing scenes of yesterday, in our final 
experience with the Dedrocks, to be followed by 
our present deplorable situation. Twice im- 
prisoned within two days ! But yet, come to think 
of it, we have been in a state of unconscious 
captivity for fourteen years.” 

At this juncture, a key grated in the rusty 
lock, the door opened and old Mag entered, bear- 
ing a tray with lunch for the prisoners. She took 
the precaution to relock the door and withdraw 
the key, then set the food and drink upon a 
rickety table. 

The prisoners intently observed her as she 
silently moved about. A large, coarse, bony, 
angular featured person, somewhat past middle 


TheMounta-in Castle Mystery 157 

age; her hair originally red, but now admixed 
with gray, with front bangs nearly covering her 
narrow forehead; her eyes small, deep set and 
snappish ; her nose long, turned up at the end and 
wide of nostrils; her mouth large, with thin 
bloodless lips that but partially covered long, ir- 
regular snags of teeth; and a heavy chin, com- 
pletes her ugly picture. Her whole aspect was re- 
pellant and sinister in the extreme. 

“I’ve fetched you-uns some grub,” the old hag 
said, as she turned squarely around and critically 
inspected her prisoners; “I s’pose you’re hungry 
by this time. Set up and help yourselves.” 

“We do not care for anything to eat or drink,” 
Delia assured her, satisfied that her sister would 
coincide with her in refusing the proffered re- 
freshments, as they did not like to take the 
chances of being drugged, but you can do us a 
favor by informing us who brought tis here, and 
why we are imprisoned in this house ?” 

The woman glared at them superciliously and 
retorted : 

“You’ll find out byme-by ; leastwise, I aint here 
to answer questions.” So saying, the vicious old 
hag snatched up the tray of rejected food, cast a 
look of withering scorn at the captives, let herself 
out and locked the door after her. 

The sisters seated themselves by a window and 
discussed the situation and the events which had 
ided it. Many plans of escape were formu- 



lated only to be discarded, as futile, upon second 
thought. 

So the afternoon wore away, and the sable robe 
Df night enveloped the scene. 


158 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


A long period of darkness and silence elapsed, 
when the sound of many heavy footsteps in the 
front room announced an arrival, and several 
male voices mingled in conversation, but the drift 
thereof was unintelligible to the frightened cap- 
tives. Later, the hum of voices ceased suddenly, 
and a key creaked in the door lock, the door flew 
open and old Mag entered, carrying a small 
lamp, and was followed in single file, by Volrath, 
Monk, Burk, McGinty, Schwabel and Wrenn, 
who formed in a semi-circle facing the sisters, 
who had retreated to the farther corner of the 
room, in extreme terror. 

“Don’t be angry or alarmed, girls ; Herman and 
I intend to treat you well. We couldn’t bear to 
see you throw yourselves away, as you have done, 
so we concluded to save you from such a fate. 
Therefore, we hope you will pardon the innocent 
deception and kindly stratagem by which we got 
you into our power.” Such was Volrath’s speech. 

At a sign from Fritz, Mag Mullen advanced to 
the captive girls, placed a folded handkerchief 
over each one’s mouth and tied the extreme ends 
together tightly at the back of the neck, then 
bound the wrists of each together, and the order 
was given to start. Of course, the young women 
had offered no resistance, as they knew it would 
be useless. 

Volrath and Schwabel took an arm of Dena 
and Lena respectively, also carrying the ladies’ 
hand bags, and the procession proceeded, in 
double file, down an unfrequented lane to the 
river, old Mag, after locking up the house, bring- 
ing up the rear, lugging a large valise. They 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 159 

reached the boat apparently unseen, and went 
aboard, in which a single lamp was dimly burning, 
and where everything was in readiness for instant 
departure. 

It was arranged that Volrath and Wrenn were 
to manage the boat during the remainder of the 
night, and they set about it, while the others re- 
mained inside. 

“Untie the line, Pete, and let her go,” Volrath 
commanded, as^ he seized the tiller, prepared to 
direct the boat’s course. 

Pete loosened the line, got aboard and com- 
menced hauling in and coiling the rope. 

But the craft did not move. 

“She seems to be aground; take this pole and 
heave out her stern,” Volrath said, working the 
tiller so as to turn the rudder away from the 
bank. 

Pete seized the pole, which yielded and swung 
out into the current, while, due to the officers 
submarine wire, the boat swung shoreward and 
struck the bank. 

“Damn the boat, what’s the matter with her?” 
Volrath growled, adding, “heave harder, Pete, 
heave her !” 

The two men braced themselves against the 
pole and pushed hard, which only served to hold 
the bow against the bank, while the chief of 
police and his men quickly stepped aboard, un- 
seen, and in another minute Fritz and Pete were 
seized, handcuffed and gagged before they fairly 
realized what had happened. They were taken 
ashore, and a patrolman was left to guard them. 

In the cabin, Herman and the rest of the gang 


1 60 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

were standing by a table, their filled glasses raised 
to drink. 

“Surrender, or die!” shouted the chief, in 
peremptory tones, and the revelers discovered 
seven determined men behind seven revolvers, 
surrounding them. 

The squad of miscreants were startled at this 
unlooked for episode, their panic attested by the 
crash of falling glasses and the spilling of un- 
tasted liquor, and the frozen stare and fearful 
scream emitted by the old hag. 

“Hold up your hands!” commanded the chief. 
All held up their hands, save Gus Monk, who 
whipped out his revolver and fired point blank at 
the chief’s head, but fortunately without effect, 
other than producing a slight scalp wound, while 
the chief’s revolver was discharged, at the same 
instant, and Monk tottered and fell, mortally 
wounded, as the bullet had penetrated his breast 
in the region of the heart. 

The officers hand-cuffed their prisoners, loaded 
them into a patrol wagon, which was in waiting 
nearby, and, soon after, delivered them to the 
turn-key of the jail. 

The fair prisoners were quickly released by 
their devoted husbands, and the exceeding joy of 
their recovery and re-union was a sweet recom- 
pense for the mental agony they had all endured. 
Escorted by Anselmo, they proceeded to the home 
of Lola and Aglae, and were welcomed by them 
with joy and gladness. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 


i6i 


CHAPTER XXI. 

RETRIBUTION. 

During the following week, the circuit court 
was to sit for the trial of criminal cases; and our 
friends having been subpoenaed to give evidence 
before the grand jury, accepted the urgent invita- 
tion of the amiable Italian modistes, to make them 
a prolonged visit. As the quartet of Pagets had 
now permanently cut loose from and finally 
severed all relations with the Dedrocks, and more- 
over, were as yet undecided as to their future 
movements, they the more readily accepted the 
cordial invitation thus extended to them. Signor 
Anselmo called every evening, and the congenial 
party pleasantly passed the time with music and 
conversation. 

Gus Monk, who had been so dangerously 
wounded while resisting arrest on the house boat, 
lingered in a comatose state for three days, when 
he recovered consciousness, but was in a very 
precarious and enfeebled condition. Plis physician 
had admonished him that he was near death’s 
door, and he expressed a wish to make an ante- 
mortem statement concerning a part of his past 
life, in the interest and behoof of people who had 
been wronged, and yet others who rested under 
public odium through a misunderstanding of the 


1 62 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

real facts. In regard to himself, personally, he 
admitted that his whole life had been one con- 
tinuous career of crime, of which he wished to 
say nothing in palliation or mitigation. That, he 
simply wished to disclose his connection with the 
crimes committed at Wendling Castle, in order 
to place responsibilities where they belonged and 
as far as possible to right certain wrongs which 
have caused much anguish and grief. 

Being first duly sworn, Monk made a formal 
deposition before a civil magistrate, in relation to 
the matters to which reference has just been 
made. This deposition, having been read to him 
to verify it’s correctness, he signed; the names of 
two persons, who were present, and had heard 
his statements, were affixed as witnesses, the cer- 
tificate of the magistrate attached, and the docu- 
ment was taken by the latter to the court house, to 
file with the clerk of the court. 

A change for the worse now came over Gus 
Monk, who had overexerted himself in labori- 
ously making his lengthy statement, and his phy- 
sical system seemed to collapse and break down 
altogether. His eyes stared fixedly into vacancy, 
his voice became husky and inarticulate, his 
respiration more labored and the death-damp 
moistened his brow. 

Conscious that Monk’s end had come, a priest, 
in attendance, administered to him the rite of ab- 
solution, and held a small silver crucifix before 
his fading vision until his spirit fled. He had 
taken a change of venue from a mundane to a 
higher court. 

The circuit court duly convened, and, as soon 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 163 

as the bank burglary case was reached on the 
court calendar, Fritz Volrath, Herman Schwabel, 
Pat McGinty, Sandy Burk and Pete Wrenn, 
against all of -whom true bills of indictment had 
been returned by the grand jury, were duly ar- 
raigned for trial. “Beauty” and “Fairy” were 
conspicuous by their absence. Those vicious 
young women had taken timely warning and had 
absconded to parts unknown, thus eluding the 
officers of the law and evading arrest. Their 
whereabouts could not be ascertained, nor were 
they afterwards known in their old haunts. 

Epaminondas Scroggs, Esq., the prosecuting 
attorney, opened the case for the people by giving 
a concise and lucid account of the recent bank 
burglary, and the grand larceny of $20,000 in 
cash, and bank securities to a large amount, and 
of the attempt of the perpetrators of the crime to 
saddle suspicion upon Mr. Zebulon Smith, of the 
Black Hills, temporarily sojourning in the city; 
but that, subsequent developments had completely 
exonerated that individual from having complic- 
ity in or guilty knowledge of that nefarious 
transaction; therefore a nolle prosique had been 
entered as to him, and he had been discharged 
from custody, but was retained as a witness in 
the case. 

He then proceeded to disclose the theory of the 
prosecution in regard to the crime, and the rela- 
tion which each and all of the defendants bore 
to it; when, where and how the crime was 
planned ; by whom and in what manner it was ac- 
complished; when and how the proceeds of the 
crime were divided between the active and passive 


164 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

participants therein. That all the criminals con- 
cerned in the crime, except Gus Monk, the leader 
of the gang, who died from the effect of a wound 
received while resisting arrest, and two female ac- 
complices whom, notwithstanding the efforts of 
the sheriff’s officers to capture them, had disap- 
peared and escaped arrest, were here arraigned 
before the court for trial, for the crime charged 
against them, according to the forms of law ; and 
he would, in due time, present the court and jury 
ample evidence, by unimpeachable witnesses, to 
sustain the charges against the accused. He, 
therefore, trusted that the jury would, without 
fear, favor or prejudice mete out even and exact 
justice to the criminals at the bar according to the 
law and the testimony. 

Lycurgas Lurch, Esq., a noted criminal lawyer, 
had been retained by the defence, and he com- 
menced interposing obstructive motions, as, for a 
continuance, for separate trials for the different 
defendants, etc., all of which the judge overruled, 
when, therefore, the case proceeded to trial. 

The courtroom was crowded, as much public 
interest had been aroused. 

The witnesses for the prosecution, Signor An- 
selmo, Signorina Lola Guivano, Mr. Crisp, the 
cashier of the looted bank, Zebulon Smith, and 
several others, whose knowledge of the case was 
more or less circumstantial, were called forward 
and sworn by the court clerk, all of whom seated 
themselves within the bar, to await their call to 
the witness stand. 

A well-dressed gentleman of foreign aspect, 
middle aged, tall, dark complexioned, with black 


/ The Mountain Castle Mystery 165 

hair, moustache and eyes, dignified and prepos- 
sessing in appearance, entered and took a seat 
near the railing, and then gave his attention 
rather indifferently to what was transpiring be- 
fore him. Being a person of distinguished mien, 
he was calculated to attract attention in any as- 
semblage. On this occasion he was the cynosure 
of all eyes, especially those of the ladies present. 

The stranger listened languidly to the prelimin- 
ary sparring between counsel as to the order of 
procedure to be followed in the case, until some 
point under discussion had been submitted to and 
decided by the court, when the clerk announced : 

“Miss Lola Guivano will please take the stand.” 

A buzz of admiration ran through the audience 
accompanied by the movement of many heads, to 
secure a better view, as the queenly form of Lola 
arose from amid a group of friends, and grace- 
fully moved to the witness stand, where she 
seated herself facing the jury and audience. She 
really merited all their interest and attention, for 
she was handsome and attractive in face and 
figure, modestly yet tastefully attired, altogether 
suggesting much candor and refinement. 

A surprised look swept across the face of the 
stranger, when the name of the witness was 
called, and he regarded her intently, as she rose to 
view. He said to himself: “Well, well. It is 
Lola herself ! and now I have more hopes of find- 
ing the others.” 

He took from a side-pocket a cardcase, and ex- 
tracting a small photo gazed at it with interest. 

It was the picture of a young lady in the glory 
of her early youth and marvellously resembled the 


1 66 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

bright young lady on the stand. Replacing the 
photo in it’s receptacle, his whole attention was 
thenceforth given to the proceedings of the court, 
to which, after this brief digression, we now re- 
turn. 

In response to questions by the prosecutor, Lola 
lucidly related all she had seen and heard in the 
Arcade saloon, bearing upon the burglary, and 
closed with a spirited and amusing description of 
the manner in which the gang had equipped the 
unconscious Mr. Smith with their outfit of 
burglar’s tools and how they had stuffed his 
pockets with paper securities stolen from the 
bank, in order to make a scapegoat of him and 
divert public attention from themselves. 

When her direct examination was concluded, 
the attorney for the defence took her in hand, with 
a series of cunning questions, intended to entrap 
her into contradicting her direct evidence, and to 
envolve her in compromising admission as to her 
business at the saloon ; but, instead of such a re- 
sult, every answer she gave, only made the more 
clear and intelligible her most damaging testi- 
mony; and soon realizing this fact, the cross- 
examination was not greatly protracted. 

Signor Anselmo was the next witness and his 
evidence clearly corroborated that of Lola, in 
every particular; and, although he was subjected 
to a most rigid cross-examination, his testimony 
was not shaken in the least. 

Mr. Crisp, the bank cashier, testified to having 
passed part of an evening in Volrath’s saloon just 
before the burglary occurred, during which time, 
he had, in some inexplicable manner, been re- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 167 

lieved of his pocket-book, containing some money, 
and a card, upon which was written the combina- 
tion of the bank safe. He identified four of the 
prisoners as having been in the saloon at and 
during the time he was there, to wit: Volrath, 
Schwabel, Burk and Wrenn, and he stated that 
Monk, since killed, was also present in the saloon. 

Zebulon Smith, when called to the stand, 
related his experience, as far as he could remem- 
ber it, at the Arcade, on the night of the burg- 
lary, and in what condition he found himself 
afterwards. 

Other witnesses were introduced, who testified 
to the general bad character of all the accused, 
based upon cases of crookedness in which they 
were involved; their concerted exploits having 
impressed the witnesses that they were combined 
as confederates or pals. That of late, all of them 
were known to be unusually “flush” with cas^, 
which they were expending with lavish hand£. 
That the Arcade had the reputation of being a 
resort for the vicious element, and that strangers 
had complained to the police of having been 
robbed at that notorious resort. 

The case for the people “rested,” and the de- 
fence tried to prove an alibi, as to Volrath, 
Schwabel, McGinty and Burk, but they failed to 
establish their claim, for the evidence was clearly 
shown that the men named were all, excepting 
McGinty, present in the saloon at the division of 
the spoils. The evidence to support the alibi came 
from habitual hangers-on at the Arcade saloon, 
who swore that the accused men were with them 
out on the river, to a late hour that night, but 


i68 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


their evidence was promptly impeached and dis- 
credited. 

The arguments of counsel were exhaustive and 
able ; which, when closed, the case, with the 
judge’s charge, was given to the jury, who retired 
to deliberate on their verdict. They were out 
but a brief period, when they returned into court, 
through their foreman, announcing as their ver- 
dict: 

“Guilty, as charged in the indictment, as to all 
of the defendants.” 

Fritz Volrath and Herman Schwabel, as prin- 
cipals, and Sandy Burk, Pat McGinty, Pete 
Wrenn and the old hag, Mag Mullen, as acces- 
sories, were next arraigned upon the charge of 
the abduction and compulsory detention for im- 
moral purposes of the Mesdames Dena and Lena 
Paget. 

All the preliminaries for the trial of the case 
were speedily arranged and entered upon. 

There was a stubborn contest between opposing 
counsel, throughout the trial. However, as the 
reader is already informed of the material facts 
of the case, which were fully established on the 
trial thereof, it is needless to here recapitulate 
them. Suffice it to say, a verdict of “guilty” was 
returned against the accused, and they were at 
once remanded for sentence, which was cumula- 
tive, because the same criminals were convicted 
in both cases; and those who were principals in 
the burglary case being accessories in the abduc- 
tion case, and those who were principals in the 
abduction case being accessories in the burglary 
case, the judge sentenced them all to a uniform 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 169 

penalty of twenty-five years’ imprisonment in the 
state penitentiary at hard labor, excepting old 
Mag Mullen, who was given five years. 

We will mention, en passant, that, previous to 
the last trial, it was deemed important to have 
the testimony of Jacob and Augusta Dedrock, 
and a bailiff was sent out to subpoena them, 
whereupon the old man flew into a towering rage, 
was suddenly taken with apoplexy and died be- 
fore medical aid could reach him. Not willing 
to remove Mrs. Dedrock from her dead husband, 
the officers returned to the city without her, and 
her testimony, whatever it was, was dispensed 
with. 


170 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XXII. 

THE SHERIFF’S MALFEASANCE. 

Casper Volrath, upon arriving in America, as- 
sumed the name of Carl Wendorf, a name by 
which he was subsequently known. He and his 
pals settled at Emporia. He was the founder of 
the “Arcade” saloon, wherein he and his hopeful 
son, Fritz, dispensed liquors to the thirsty, ran a 
gambling room, and made the place a resort for 
the vicious element of society. 

In a few years he had learned to speak English 
with fluency ; and, as he was a man of more than 
ordinary ability and had considerable influence 
with the criminal and hoodlum classes, through 
his association with them at his saloon, he was 
elected to the office of alderman, wherein he de- 
veloped the qualities of a boodler of the first 
water. During the few years of his aldermanic 
career, he and some of his colleagues of the city 
council had boodled the city out of thousands of 
dollars. Instead of being punished for his crook- 
edness, or turned down by the voters, his popular- 
ity increased so much that he was nominated and 
elected to the office of sheriff of the county. 

Upon his accession to the office of sheriff, he 
had given his saloon to Fritz who subsequently 
ran it alone. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 17 1 

Although he had become personally acquainted 
with Dedrock, neither of the men recognized the 
other, as their previous association had been too 
brief to leave a lasting impression on either of 
their minds. He had become partially acquainted 
with Mr. Winters, of the Great Western Hotel, 
and had often marveled at the striking resem- 
blance of the landlord to Count Wendling, but 
never suspected his identity, fordie really believed 
him dead; for, Monk was far too discreet and 
politic to inform him to the contrary, as, to do so, 
would expose his own duplicity to his former 
pard. Therefore, Volrath remained in ignorance 
of the real facts. Not having met the landlord, 
Monk was not aware that the Count was in the 
city. 

At the end of his official term, Casper Volrath, 
alias Carl Wendorf, stood for re-election. His 
opponents charged and the better class of citizens 
believed, that he had made a very corrupt and 
crooked official. During his term, all the gamb- 
ling dives, saloons and vile resorts which dis- 
graced the city had flourished as never before, 
being and remaining unmolested by the sheriff, 
in consideration of hush money. Many criminals, 
while under arrest, were permitted to escape from 
the sheriff because of bribes. Despite the bad 
record of the sheriff, the rough and vicious ele- 
ment, to a man, rallied to his support and he was 
triumphantly re-elected. 

It was during Volrath’s second term that the 
trial and conviction of the burglars and abductors 
had occurred and the sheriff was charged with 
the duty of delivering the prisoners at the Alton 


172 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

penitentiary in accordance with the sentence of 
the court. 

The prosecuting attorney, having been cogni- 
zant of the sheriff’s close affiliation and friendship 
with all the prisoners, and distrusting his honesty 
in the premises, induced the judge to deputize a 
dozen good citizens as officers of the court to ac-~ 
company the sheriff and prisoners on the boat, as 
additional guards, to provide against their rescue, 
release or escape. To prevent the sheriff’s 
suspicions from being aroused, these deputies 
were to pose as ordinary passengers, but were to 
keep their attention closely upon the sheriff and 
his prisoners. 

The second day of the voyage down the Mis- 
sissippi, a member of the escort was sitting near 
the prisoners, reading a newspaper, when the 
sheriff approached Fritz Volrath and said: 

“Fritz, the boat is going to land at that heavy 
body of timber, to take on wood. That woodyard 
is in Calhoun County, 111. Take this key, and when 
the boat lands, unlock all your bracelets and go 
ashore. I’ll know nothing about your escape, for 
I will be in my stateroom.” 

The sheriff went directly to his stateroom, and 
the eavesdropper immediately hunted up his com- 
panions and posted them about the plot for the 
escape of the prisoners. 

The bell clanged, and the boat swung around 
toward the shore, where great ricks of cord-wood 
stood near the bank, beyond which, massive 
cottonwoods towered aloft, whose interlacing 
branches formed a compact canopy overhead 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 173 

through which the sunshine could scarcely pene- 
trate. 

The boat’s line was made fast to a tree and the 
stage was swung upon the bank, when a line of 
deckhands was formed, lugging cord- wood 
aboard. The mate had taken a central position, 
whence he observed the progress of the Work and 
enlivened the movements of the men by com- 
mands, orders and directions thundered forth in 
stentorian tones. 

The twelve pro tern bailiffs had gone ashore at 
the first, as did several other passengers, and 
stood around as if viewing the interesting 
features of the primeval forest. The former had 
gone ashore in anticipation of the prisoners doing 
likewise, and they took such a position on the 
bank as would enable them to intercept and re- 
capture the criminals, should they leave the boat. 

Presently Fritz Volrath and Herman Schwabel, 
arm in arm, appeared at the bow of the boat and 
leisurely walked the length of the stage to the 
bank, and passed around the rick of wood, out of 
sight from the boat. But they walked right into 
the arms of several members of the committee, 
who, with drawn revolvers, awaited them at that 
point. They were speedily handcuffed. 

Next McGinty, Burk, Wrenn and the old hag, 
Mag Mullen, in single file, strolled to the shore 
and passed around, only to be seized and 
manacled as fast as they came to hand. 

In a few minutes, a procession, with each 
prisoner escorted by a man on either side, having 
hold of an arm, marched upon the boat, much to 
the surprise of the passengers. 


174 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

Casper Volrath was immediately arrested and 
handcuffed, to be taken back to Emporia for trial. 

The prisoners were duly delivered at the peni- 
tentiary and placed in confinement, where they 
would have ample time to reflect upon the sad 
consequences of their misspent lives. 

Casper Volrath was returned to Emporia by 
the first up-river boat, and, as court was then in 
session, he was promptly arraigned before it, con- 
victed, and sentenced to pay a fine of $1,000, and 
undergo a term of ten years, at hard labor, in the 
penitentiary. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 175 


CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE FOREIGN MESSENGER. 

When the court had taken it’s noon recess, on 
the first day of the trial, the distinguished-looking 
stranger, to whom reference was made in the pre- 
ceding chapter, advanced to where Lola stood 
among her friends, and, politely bowing, asked 
her if she was not a daughter of the late Count 
Guivano, of Italy, at the same time presenting his 
card on which was inscribed: “Rudini Morenci.” 

“Yes,” she said, offering him her hand, which 
he grasped and shook cordially, “and if I had 
not seen your card, still, I should have recognized 
you, at once, as my father’s legal adviser and 
friend. Here is my elder sister, Aglae, who knew 
you at home better than I did. Let’s see if she 
will recognize you.” She touched her sister’s 
arm, and that young lady, who was conversing 
with Dena, turned and found herself face to face 
with Morenci. Their eyes met in a look of mutual 
recognition. Her face first palecf then flushed, as 
she gasped, and exclaimed: 

“Am I dreaming ? or is this really Rudini ?” 

She extended both hands as she spoke, which 
were warmly clasped in his, while he assured her, 
it was worth a trip across the broad Atlantic to 
again meet her and Lola. 


176 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

“I had ceased to hope of ever seeing you 
again,” she replied, “and this is a most welcome 
surprise.” 

Anselmo, a moment later, was exchanging 
greetings with Morenci,. for they had been warm 
friends in Italy in past days. 

Lola, then stepping from before the Pagets, 
said : 

“Signor Morenci, permit me to introduce to 
you our cousins, whose parents came from Dres- 
den. These are Ernest Paget and wife, and these 
are Michael Paget and wife. Cousins, Signor 
Morenci is an old friend of ours, from Italy.” Of 
course, the stranger and the Pagets exchanged 
handshakes and salutations. 

By this time the people had nearly vacated the 
court room, when the stranger said : 

“As your presence here will not be required for 
a couple of hours, and as I have an important 
communication to make to you, for which pur- 
pose I came to America, I cordially invite you all 
to lunch with me, at my apartments at the hotel. 
Will you thus honor me?” 

Very much surprised, they accepted his invita- 
tion, and accompanied him to the Great Western 
Hotel, where he was stopping, Morenci ordered 
lunch to be served in an adjoining room, and re- 
turned to his parlor where his guests had seated 
themselves. 

“Well,, Aglae and Lola,” he said, “I can 
scarcely express the pleasure it gives me to meet 
you again. I have long wanted to communicate 
with you, had advertised for you in French 
journals without avail, and had visited Paris to 


/ The Mountain Castle Mystery 177 

hunt you up. In that city I ascertained that, 
about two years previously you had gone to 
America, particular place unknown. Our meeting 
here is purely accidental. I came here in quest 
of your cousins, the Paget brothers, whom I 
learned, in New York, had gone west and were 
supposed to be in the vicinity of Emporia, and 
here I just arrived. Happening to drop into the 
court house, I very fortunately met you all. To 
be brief, I have glorious news for you. The 
Italian courts have, at last, reversed the decree of 
confiscation and banishment against the late 
Count Guivano, and restored all properties and 
honors to his heirs at law, absolutely. And, now, 
Aglae and Lola, you can return to the home of 
your childhood and resume the station in life to 
which you have been accustomed. Your father 
had the satisfaction of killing, in sanguinary 
duels, several of the conspirators, before he died, 
and the remainder of them have been immured in 
prison, for the crime against him, on life senten- 
ces. I hand you some official papers, corrobora- 
tive of my statement, which you can peruse at 
your leisure. Young ladies, I congratulate you, 
sincerely upon your good fortune. 

“And now, Ernest and Michael Paget, I have 
the pleasure of informing you that, you are the 
sole and absolute heirs to the great Paget wealth 
in Dresden. Your uncle, James Paget, is dead, 
and he has left you, by will, almost his entire 
estate, which is immense. In his last hours, he 
expressed to me his regret that he had not divided 
it with his brother, your father, when it had been 
devised to him. He had learned that his brother 


178 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

Henry had died, in New York, leaving two sons 
whom he besought me to find, and to place them 
in possession of the property. 7 congratulate you 
upon the acquisition. Half of said property 
should have gone to your father in the first 
place; it’s diversion to your uncle was a caprici- 
ous wrong, and it’s restoration now is but a tardy 
act of justice; yet, the other half added, makes 
t none the less acceptable.” 

At this point a waiter announced that lunch was 
served, and all were soon seated around the din- 
ing table and partaking of a fine repast. An 
animated conversation ensued in relation to their 
changed prospects, their sudden elevation from 
poverty to affluence. Signor Morenci was plied 
with many questions, and he afforded them more 
explicit and detailed information. All of the 
party felt deeply grateful to him for his valuable 
and disinterested efforts in their behalf ; for they 
realized that it was no trivial matter to make a 
long journey solely in the interest of others, tak- 
ing into account the dangers of travel by land and 
sea, with its inevitable expenses, annoyances and 
loss of time. 

But it must be remembered that Morenci was 
a bachelor, with no family ties to fetter his 
movements, retired from his profession, having 
ample means, and that time hung heavily on his 
hands. Perhaps a love of travel had something 
to do with it ; but, after all, he had a motive be- 
yond the foregoing reasons. That motive was 
his love for Aglae, which had survived through 
changes of circumstances and time. Several 
years her senior, he had watched her transition 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 179 

from childhood to maturity, with the eye of a 
lover, and his devotion had been reciprocated by 
her. But, before he had declared himself or 
could know his fate, the count’s great misfor- 
tune befell him and his. The lover was too mag- 
nanimous to try to marry Aglae, thus depriv- 
ing her parents, who needed her, of her society 
in their banishment. So he nobly resolved to 
wait, and address himself to the task of pro- 
curing a reversal of the decree against the count 
and postponing his own happiness until that mis- 
sion should have been accomplished. 

Now that he had found the idol of his heart, he 
refrained from declaring himself until assured 
by her manner of treating him, that the love she 
had once evinced for him was neither dead nor 
dormant. And yet another idea he had, which 
was a chivalric one, was to wait until he had 
secured to her her rights and honors, and not seem 
to take advantage of the lowly position to which 
she had been unjustly reduced, to bind her to 
him. If, when restored to her rightful position 
in society, she should favor his suit, then would 
he prove his fidelity by offering her his heart and 
hand. 

As it was with Aglae, she had once loved 
Rudini with all the fervor of her pure young 
heart; but, when he did not seek her in France, 
nor even communicate with her by letter, she 
came to believe he had changed toward her, as 
had many sunshine friends when misfortune had 
spread its sable wings over the Guivano family, 
and she had striven to tear his image from her 
heart. 


180 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

Thus the matter stood between these two at 
this time. 

After lunch, when the party was again seated 
in the parlor, Rudini was asked if he resided at 
Modena, to which he replied : 

“Not for some time past, although that is my 
native place. Really I have vibrated between 
Dresden and Modena, when not rambling over 
Europe, Asia and Egypt. However, I have not 
been traveling for pleasure, but to serve a wid- 
owed countess, named Lucretia Wendling, whose 
two small children were kidnapped by bandits. 
The latter had transferred the children to the 
keeping of a roving band of Gypsies, whose 
whereabouts I have been trying to trace. Many 
times I thought I had discovered the stolen chil- 
dren, but it proved otherwise. When at length 
I had run down every group of Gypsies in those 
countries, I thought I would visit America in the 
interest of the Paget heirs, as requested to do by 
James Paget before his demise. When I return 
to Dresden, I shall resume my hunt for the lost 
children in some untried region. I shall yet find 
them, I hope, if they are still living.” 

“What a life of adventure you must have,” said 
Dena, meditatively, “constantly changing scenes, 
varied society, strange lands and peoples ; such a 
life must be an exciting one, but really I could not 
endure it for long. I prefer home and the so- 
ciety of a circle of good and true friends.” 

“So should I, a thousand times over,” answered 
the ex-barrister, with animation ; then, in a slight- 
ly plaintive tone of voice, he added: “But I have 
had no home, and for years I have kept so much 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 181 


aloof from society that it seems to me I had no 
friends, either. Why, the fact was, I needed ex- 
citement, adventure, change of scene, anything 
to drive from my mind the consciousness of what 
might have been!” He glanced at Aglae as he 
concluded and his eyes brightened as he saw a 
conscious blush mantle her face, which she 
quickly turned aside to hide her confusion, but 
which little by-play fortunately escaped the no- 
tice of the rest of the company. After a brief 
silence he continued : 

“But this adventurous life has its compensa- 
tions. There is a pleasure in working to benefit 
others — to infuse sunshine and joy into desolate 
lives. The refined, bereaved countess has en- 
listed my sympathy and efforts in her behalf.” 

“Where does this interesting and unfortunate 
countess reside?” asked Lena, with sympathetic 
interest. 

“In a feudal castle, situated in a romantic val- 
ley on the Elbe river, some distance south of 
Dresden,” he replied. 

“When we get settled in Dresden,” Dena re- 
plied, “I hope you will make us acquainted with 
the countess, for what you have told us of her 
has deeply interested us and has awakened for 
her our warmest sympathies.” 

“I will manage to bring you and the countess 
together,” he returned, “and you will find her to 
be a noble woman, who does not deserve her sad 
fate.” 

“By the way,” Ernest said, “what do you sug- 
gest as to our immediate movements? This sud- 
den news of our inheritance is so surprising that 


182 TheMountain Castle Mystery 


I hardly know what move to make first, and 
would appreciate your advice.” 

“Well,” the lawyer said, “of course you will 
all have to remain here until these trials are over, 
and perhaps longer, to settle up your affairs and 
get ready to take the ocean voyage before us. I 
will tarry here till you are ready. We may be 
delayed a week or so. I think Anselmo, Aglae 
and Lola had best keep with us as far as Dresden ; 
when, after enjoying a good visit, and taking a 
needed rest, they can proceed on to Modena, 
where their splendid mansion is in readiness for 
their occupancy. They are so well known that 
they will need no credentials, but it is different 
with you and Michael, who, being strangers in 
Dresden, will need to take with you some valid 
proofs to establish your identity as the sons of 
the late Henry Paget and the identical parties 
mentioned in the bequest of James Paget. One 
of the finest mansions in that city awaits your 
occupancy.” 

“Dena, we didn’t marry such poverty-stricken 
youths as our enemies would have it, after all, 
did we now?” archly asked Lena. 

“That we didn’t,” she replied, “but if it had 
been so it would have been all the same ; the only 
regretable matter with us is, that we are unable 
to contribute to the wealth and position to which 
our husbands will raise us.” 

“Except your peerless selves, and which more 
than equals all we are able to bestow upon you.” 

“It is now time to return to the court house,” 
Michael announced, and they were soon equipped 
for the street, and later seated in the court room. 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 183 

The criminal trials proceeded to their conclu- 
sion, as hereinbefore stated. It would be need- 
less to affirm that our friends, who had been so 
basely wronged and annoyed by their enemies, 
felt a certain sense of satisfaction and relief at 
the result, in which was mingled a small degree 
of commiseration for their deplorable but de- 
served fate. Justice had been done them, at all 
events. 

And here was a turn in the tide of the fortunes 
of some of our characters which lifted them from 
poverty to opulence. Their experience in strug- 
gling for a mere subsistence had been a school of 
adversity which had prepared and fitted them to 
appreciate and enjoy all the good things in store 
for them. It was no wonder that their spirits 
were exuberant and joyous. 

The day before the time set for their departure 
Signor Morenci had seen the ante-mortem state- 
ment of Gus Monk, and informed his friends that 
it had afforded him valuable information and 
some valuable and important clues which would 
materially change his plans and facilitate his 
search for the lost children of the countess, but 
he did not at that time enter into details of the 
revelations the document contained. 

It was arranged that the travelling party should 
start for New York on the following Tuesday' 
morning. 

At the appointed time their trunks were con- 
veyed to the railway station. The party, who had 
breakfasted in Morenci’s rooms, had just de- 
scended to the office floor, preparatory to taking 


184 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


the ’bus in front of the house which was to con- 
vey them to the train. 

As was his custom, Mr. Winters, the genial 
proprietor of the Great Western Hotel, stood at 
one side of the hall entrance, shaking hands with 
and expressing a kindly farewell to each of the 
departing guests as they passed down and out, 
when Dena, who was the last to approach, offered 
her hand for a farewell shake, when the land- 
lord’s gaze was fixed upon her face wonderingly. 
His face wore a puzzled expression, and he 
placed both hands to his brow as if trying in vain 
to remember or recall something forgotten. He 
gasped, almost indistinctly, the words: 

“Are you — are you ” and took a step for- 

ward, with his arms extended, as if to embrace 
her. But that step, in his apparent absent-mind- 
edness, was a false step, and he fell at full length 
down the flight of stone steps, striking his head 
against a sharp corner and making an ugly gash, 
from which the blood flowed profusely, while he 
rolled to the floor, his body quivering in uncon- 
scious agony. 

There was a simultaneous rush to his assistance 
by the hotel people, who carried the stricken land- 
lord to his room, while medical aid was sum- 
moned. 

“I am afraid the poor man is killed, and we 
ought not to leave until we know how he is !” re- 
marked Morenci sympathetically. 

“All aboard!” shouted the ’bus driver at that 
instant, and as their baggage had gone to the sta- 
tion in advance, they all clambered into the vehi- 
cle and went whirling down the street, all sadly 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 185 

impressed by the occurrence of the unfortunate 
accident. 

The party arrived in New York in time to 
secure passage on the outgoing steamer. They 
had a pleasant voyage across the Atlantic and 
reached Hamburg on schedule time, from whence 
they went by rail, via Berlin, to Dresden. 


V ' 


1 86 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XXIV. 

A DISGUISED BLESSING. 

The count had crossed the ocean, under the 
delusion suggested by the card he carried in his 
pocket, that America was his home. In his dis- 
abled mental condition he thought the name and 
address on that card the only connecting link be- 
tween the present and the unconscious past. On 
the steamer and on the train he had often held the 
card before his eyes and studied it, pondered over 
it, and tried to recall ever so little of his past, but 
all in vain, for the past was an utter blank to 
him. However, he still hoped that when he 
reached his destination, amid friends and familiar 
scenes, his now dormant memory would become 
reinstated. 

Arrived at Emporia, he went to the principal 
hotel, and upon registering, the landlord, as soon 
as he glanced at the name the count had written, 
approached him with extended hand, saying: 
“Well, I declare, this is Mr. Winters sure enough ! 
I did not recognize you at first, for you seem 
changed a bit; but still you were not here long 
enough for me to now remember your personal 
appearance distinctly. We have been alarmed 
about your safety, for we saw your name in a list 
of passengers recently lost in a shipwreck off the 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 187 

coast of France. I am glad there was a mistake 
about it and that you survived the catastrophe, 
or had missed taking passage on that especial ves- 
sel.” 

“What may I call your name?” the count asked, 
“for I believe I have forgotten it.” 

“Vandyke Brown,” answered the landlord. 

“Mr. Brown, will you favor me with a few 
minutes’ private conversation?” 

“Certainly, Mr. Winters, with pleasure; step 
into the office and be seated.” Both took chairs 
and the count said : 

“Mr. Brown, something unaccountable and 
singular has happened to me recently, by which 
I have totally lost my memory. A few weeks 
since I found myself a prisoner in the hands of a 
mountain banditti in Southern Saxony. I had 
been seriously wounded upon my head in some 
manner, had a turn of brain fever, and was 
treated by a pretended doctor, who was one of the 
band. When I recovered, my memory was gone. 
I did not know who I was or where I belonged. 
Only for a card which I found in my bill book 
I would not have known my own name or ad- 
dress. With the card I found a lot of money 
which the robbers had overlooked. 

“Now, I want you to tell me what you know 
of me, through your previous acquaintance with 
me here. My present mental and physical con- 
dition seems to me to be about normal, but my 
past is an utter blank.” 

“Why, Mr. Winters, that surely is a great mis- 
fortune; but the past may gradually come back 
to you. I regret exceedingly that I know so little 


1 88 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


about you, but I will enlighten you all I can. 
You were not here long and, as far as I know, 
made no acquaintances outside of this hotel. You 
came here from Chicago in response to an ad- 
vertisement which I had inserted in the papers 
about selling this hotel property. You then told 
me you were without family or relations and that 
you desired to engage in the hotel business. You 
investigated the prospect and plant fully, and, 
after some negotiation, bought the property, in- 
cluding ground, building, furniture, fixtures and 
furnishings, for $6,500, paying $500 down to 
bind the bargain. You said you were going to 
Germany, where you had property which you 
could readily sell for $10,000, and upon realizing 
on it you would return here, pay the balance, and 
take a warranty deed and possession of this prop- 
erty. While you have been gone I have executed 
a warranty deed to the real estate and appur- 
tenances, and have had an abstract of title pre- 
pared which I hope will prove satisfactory. I am 
prepared to deliver up possession immediately.” 

“All right, Mr. Brown, I am prepared to pay 
you the balance and close the transaction. It 
must be as you say, for if I went from here to 
Germany for $10,000, then it follows that I made 
the sale of the property I had mentioned, for I 
found that amount of money upon my person 
after having escaped from the banditti, exclu- 
sive of what they probably stole from me while 
I was in their hands.” 

That same day “Mr. Winters” and the land- 
lord of “The Great Western Hotel” closed their 
deal, and the new proprietor entered into imme-" 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 189 

diate possession of that popular hostelry, while 
Mr. Brown went out West. 

Mr. Winters retained in his service all the em- 
ployes of his predecessor, and ran the establish- 
ment much the same as had Mr. Brown. Natur- 
ally of a happy, jovial turn, in time he acquired 
great popularity, and his hotel became the favorite 
stopping place of the best travelers, including 
merchants, judges, and lawyers, who gave the 
house a liberal patronage until it had become a 
money-making institution. 

And thus, one by one, the years passed, and 
Winters was ever the same eccentric, but genial, 
good natured, polite, accommodating and hard- 
working landlord. 

But he was a man without a past, in so far as 
he himself knew. He struggled to recollect, to 
reopen the sealed book, but could not. With him 
the past was as great a mystery as is the future 
to mankind in general. His conjectures about 
that past were as unreliable as the prognostica- 
tions of our most trustworthy savants relative to 
the future. He would have given as much or 
more to have had that past revealed to him, as 
would the searcher after the infinite for a revela- 
tion of the unknown and mysterious future. 

He felt, in his inner consciousness, that he had 
lived a brilliant and happy life, and that he had 
had a career of some kind, for he fully realized 
from intuition that his was not an idle and frivo- 
lous nature. He knew he possessed deep and 
sacred purposes, high aspirations and manly zeal. 
That they must have been exercised was self-evi- 
dent. Where and how ? He felt that the sterling 


190 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

qualities of mind and heart he was conscious of 
possessing must have enlisted the friendship and 
respect of man and the love and devotion 01 gen- 
tle woman. Who and where? However much 
he speculated and pondered, no definite conclu- 
sion could he reach. It always ended in mys- 
tery. 

At the time when Signor Morenci and party 
were departing from his hotel, on their journey 
to Europe, the landlord stood in the hall entrance 
engaged in bidding a kindly adieu and shaking 
hands with each of his guests as they passed 
down and out to the waiting carriages, and he 
had come face to face with Dena, who, as the 
reader knows, was herself a veritable picture of 
her mother, the Countess Lucretia, at an earlier 
period of her life. For the first time in fourteen 
years a sudden gleam of memory shot athwart 
the count’s mental horizon, and he saw, or thought 
he saw, the sweet face of Lucretia, his beloved 
wife, before him as of yore! The imperishable 
love he bore her, by the aid of a face marvelously 
like hers, as it had appeared when he had last 
looked with loving eyes upon it, conjured from 
that black abyss of forgetfulness the face and 
form of her he loved — Lucretia! 

In an instant his soul had traversed four thou- 
sand miles of space, fourteen years of time, and 
seemingly brought him face to face with her. 
His soul was in the past, as it was oblivious of the 
present ; as, with questioning words upon his lips, 
his eyes beaming with the old love, his arms ex- 
tended to embrace the queenly form of his sup- 
posed wife, he made one step forward, missed his 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 191 

footing and fell at full length down the stone 
stairway, striking his head against the sharp cor- 
ner of a stone step below, as related in the pre- 
ceding chapter. 

All the party, excepting Dena, had passed down 
with their faces toward the street, and only looked 
back when the landlord fell; so they did not see 
his movements when he made the false step which 
caused the accident; and Dena was so filled with 
horror at what all thought a fatal fall that she 
did not comment afterwards on his singular 
words and actions. 

He was carefully carried to his room and the 
best medical talent in the city summoned to his 
bedside. Indeed, the two physicians called were 
skillful surgeons, and their expert skill was 
brought into requisition here. But the shadow 
of death hung over the count’s pillow for many a 
day, when at length reason again resumed her 
throne in his intellect and he made rapid strides 
toward recovery. 

The injury to his skull had occurred at the 
exact spot at which the bandit had struck him, 
and which injury the amateur bandit doctor had 
but imperfectly treated, having carelessly left a 
small portion of the fractured skull pressing un- 
duly upon the brain, which fragment these skilled 
surgeons removed and the fracture was remedied 
by a process of trepaning, which, when he 
emerged from the fever that supervened, com- 
pletely restored his memory, with his intellect as 
bright as in his younger days. 

How eagerly his mind reverted to that portion 
of his life which had been so long obscured. And 


192 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

then he wondered what had happened in all that 
time, in the sphere where he had once moved. 
What of his loved Lucretia? A vague impression 
lingered with him that he had recently seen her, 
but he reasoned that it was but a dream. Was she 
still alive and mourning his unexplained absence ? 
What of his daughters? Had his wife recovered 
them from the bandits and had she had the solace 
of their society during his dreary absence? 

Oh! a thousand such questions distracted his 
active mind, and he was very restive of confine- 
ment and eager to get around and prepare for his 
immediate return home; but, his sober second 
thought admonished him to exercise patience, and 
await the time of his perfect restoration, before 
undertaking any mental or physical activity. So 
he patiently waited until the surgeons had given 
him permission to leave his room, when he left 
lis hotel afifairs with an agent, went to New York, 
and embarked on the first outward-going steamer, 
homeward bound. 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 193 


CHAPTER XXV. 

MOTHER AND DAUGHTERS. 

A palatial residence upon a magnificent avenue 
in the city of Dresden was brilliantly illuminated, 
and colored lights fancifully gleamed throughout 
its spacious grounds, in honor of the expected ar- 
rival of the American heirs of the Paget wealth. 
An advance telegram had announced the hour 
which would bring the travelers, and every 
preparation for their proper reception had been 
made. 

Two beautifully decorated carriages, drawn by 
gayly caparisoned horses, entered the arched gate- 
way of the grounds and slowly moved along the 
circular driveway to the front of the house, where 
they halted, and the inmates alighting, proceeded 
through two lines of the retainers, to the piazza 
and inside, while the latter passed around to the 
servant’s hall, to enjoy a special banquet of their 
class in honor of the occasion. 

The travelers were attended to the several 
rooms which had been assigned to them, the 
ladies by petite ladies’ maids, and the gentlemen 
by liveried valets, that all might lay aside their 
traveling garments and make their toilets, their 
baggage having been conveyed thither in advance. 

Directly the Pagets and their friends descended 


194 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

to the drawing room, and while awaiting the an- 
nouncement of dinner, Signor Morenci improved 
the intervening time in pointing out to them some 
of the more rare works of art displayed in the 
grand rooms, consisting of statuary in Parian 
marble and paintings of great celebrity and merit. 

When dinner was announced, Morenci led out 
Aglae, Anselmo escorted Lola, and the Paget 
brothers accompanied their wives. Seldom had 
the most traveled of the party entered a grander 
dining room, seen a more elegant table service or 
a more elaborate spread of viands than there. It 
may be taken for granted that after their long 
journey, they were disposed to greatly enjoy the 
repast. 

After adjourning from the dining-room, they 
stood upon the portico and viewed with delight 
the beautiful grounds which surrounded the man- 
sion, with fountains, classic statuary, an un- 
equalled wealth of ornamental trees, shrubs, 
plants and flowers, a very Eden of beauty and 
taste, the whole magnificent scene profuse with 
many-hued lights, diffusing a twilight mist 
throughout. 

The beauty of the scene tempted them forth, 
and in pairs, they rambled through the grounds. 
Morenci and Aglae, after walking about among 
the numerous objects of interest, abounding on 
every hand, at last seated themselves upon a 
rustic bench, near a silvery fountain, where the 
aromatic fragrance of a bank of flowers regaled 
their senses delightfully, and the music of falling 
waters invaded the evening quiet, both seeming 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 195 

unusually pre-occupied and contemplative. After 
a brief interval, Aglae said: 

“Rudini, a remark you made, while we were 
yet in America, to the effect that you had sought 
adventure and change of scene, to drive from 
your mind a certain love affair, has been on my 
mind ever since. Did you refer to our love affair 
or a subsequent one ?” 

“On my part there was no subsequent love af- 
fair. I could love but once, and that forever l” 

“If you loved me like that, why did you not 
speak, before I left Italy with a broken heart? 
Why did you not seek me while I was in Paris? 
You must know I thought you false to me; that 
I must have believed you were basking in an- 
other’s smiles.” 

“Then, dear Aglae, you were mistaken, for, 
when you had left Italy, I loved you more fer- 
vently still, with a depth and fervor undiminished 
since. I felt that you would then have wed me, 
but I could not bear to tear you from your father 
in the time of his dire distress. He needed you 
and the rest of his family, to go with him into 
exile; for his many professed friends had proven 
false to him when he needed their friendship 
most. The noble Anselmo left a good position 
and good prospects to bear him company. I, too, 
would have gone with him, but for the fact, that, 
it was in my power to serve him better by remain- 
ing in Italy and fighting legal battles in his be- 
half, than pursuing any other course. Yes, I 
fought his battles in the courts, solitary and alone, 
and won the field ! The contest took years. Your 
parents did not live to hear the good news, but 


196 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

you and Lola do, thank God ! When I came out 
triumphantly, I then went to Paris to give him 
back the estates, titles, citizenship, of which he 
had been legally robbed, and try to make you my 
bride and accompany your family in their tri- 
umphal return to their own Italy. I found your 
parents had been dead sime time, and you, Lola 
and Anselmo had gone to America. So, I re- 
turned home and have been a wanderer ever since. 
I owe you this explanation and hope it is satis- 
factory.” 

“Dear Rudini, I am more than satisfied, I am 
grateful! You have placed Lola and I under 
weighty obligations. You have been working for 
us while I have distrusted and tried to hate you ! 
I misjudged your motives; your explanation has 
shown me how wrong I was, and I love and 
esteem you again, above all men.” 

“Dear Aglae, do you love me well enough to 
marry me?” he asked as he took her hand, and 
looked anxiously into her eyes. 

She whispered an answer, as her head sank 
upon his breast. Whatever her answer it must 
have been satisfactory, for he bent and kissed 
her full crimson lips. Then, after the exchange 
of more confidences, they returned to the house, 
where their friends had preceded them, to whom 
they announced their engagement, and received 
many sincere congratulations. 

Next morning, at breakfast, while waiting to be 
served. Signor Morenci was glancing over the 
columns of a morning paper, when he suddenly 
exclaimed: “Well, I declare! Countess Lucretia 
is in town, having arrived from Berlin, last night, 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 197 

and is stopping at the Hotel Royal. I must call 
there, this morning and pay my respects.” 

“How opportune,” Dena replied, “no doubt she 
will be as glad to meet you as you will be to see 
her; and, now don’t fail to give her our compli- 
ments, and assure her that we cordially invite her 
to call upon us. We would all be delighted to 
meet her, and if it pleases her, have her accom- 
pany you on your return.” 

“Certainly, Mrs. Paget; and your invitation 
shall be supplemented by my persuasion,” he re- 
plied, as he put aside his newspaper and gave his 
attention to the viands before him. 

An hour later Morenci sent his card up to the 
countess, at the hotel, whereupon he was invited 
up to her private parlor. 

He was received by Mary Schultz, the waiting 
maid, who, after inviting him to be seated, left 
the room to apprise the countess of the presence 
of her visitor. 

Immediately the door swung open, and the 
countess, in all the glory of her regal beauty and 
native grace, glided into the room. 

Signor Morenci arose as she advanced and they 
shook hands and exchanged friendly greetings. 
They took seats, when the countess inquired what 
success had attended his visit to America. 

“Better succes than I had hoped for,” was his 
answer; “for I accidentally stumbled upon them 
all at once and together, without the trouble of 
scarcely searching for them; and I had no previ- 
ous knowledge of their whereabouts except 
'America’ and that word stands for a continent. 
Before going, I acquainted you with the purpose 


198 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

of my trip to America, as being in the interest of 
Aglae and Lola Guivano on the one hand and of 
Ernest and Michael Paget on the other. At New 
York I was informed that the Paget brothers had 
gone west, and were supposed to be at or near 
Emporia on the Mississippi river. At the latter 
place I found the Guivano girls, in an audience, 
and the two Pagets and their wives were in their 
company. So I had no trouble at all. That is 
why I have returned so soon.” 

“All these parties whom you have gone to so 
much trouble to befriend, by aiding them in get- 
ting possession of their property, which lifts them 
from the depths, as it were, ought to feel grateful 
toward you ; indeed, as grateful as I shall always 
feel toward you, whether you succeed or not in 
finding my children. I have hoped against hope, 
but am beginning to despair of ever seeing them 
again.” 

“Don’t be discouraged, countess, I have made 
every effort in my power to trace them, and like 
you, was becoming discouraged, until I visited 
the United States, where I unearthed a well-de- 
fined clue, and now feel quite sanguine.” 

“A clue ? a clue, did you say ?” she asked, rising 
to her feet greatly agitated. 

“Be seated, and compose yourself, dear coun- 
tess, for, it is a long story and might weary you, 
standing,” suggested Morenci, and she resumed 
her seat and gazed into his eyes as if she would 
read his soul. 

The Italian ex-barrister then proceeded to give 
the countess a succinct account of the burglary 
case at Emporia, wherein three of the criminals. 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 199 

concerned in that crime, were originally from the 
vicinity of Wendling castle, viz.; Fritz Volrath, 
Gus Monk and Sandy Burk. Besides those 
named were others, who were implicated in the 
crime, whose names in this connection are not ma- 
terial. These burglars, in a body, were trying to 
escape, when they were captured by the officers, 
excepting Monk, who, in resisting arrest, was 
shot and fatally wounded by the chief of police. 
Before Gus Monk died, he made a confession, a 
copy of which Morenci handed to the countess, 
for future reference, but, which showed that 
Casper Volrath instigated Gus Monk and his 
band of bandits to capture the countess’ little girls 
and send them to America by an emigrant, and 
also kill the count. The count was not killed but 
captured by Monk, and was so injured by a blow 
on his head as to lose his memory. He subse- 
quently ecaped from the banditti. 

Another material matter in the confession was 
Monk’s admission that Casper Volrath’s sudden 
and mysterious disappearance from this country 
was caused by the threat of an exposure by a dis- 
affected bandit, and, that Monk, Burk and a f6w 
others of the gang accompanied Volrath and son 
to America. 

Such were the salient points of the confes- 
sion. 

“Now, that I know the count was not killed, I 
shall try to trace him,” resumed Morenci, “but 
have no hopes of being able to find him,Jbecause 
he might have wandered to the most distant part 
of the world. But it is different with the immi- 
grants to whom the children were consigned. 


200 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


They would go to America, secure some govern- 
ment land and remain on it all their lives. 

“I propose, now, to go up to Wendling castle 
and try to find out who the immigrants were who 
received the children from the bandits, and to 
what place in America they went. When Monk 
told you he had given the children to Gypsies, it 
was to mislead you as to their destination and 
thus baffle pursuit. 

“By the way, countess, the Mesdames Paget 
have heard me speak of you frequently, and they 
very much desire to make your acquaintance ; and, 
they, seconded by their husbands, have commis- 
sioned me to invite you, while in town, to call 
upon them. I will be pleased to accompany you 
to the Paget place at any time.” 

“I should be glad to meet and know the 
strangers, because they are your friends; so I 
will accompany you there at once, for, in view of 
this news about the lost children, I am anxious 
to return to the castle, when you go there to 
commence tracing up the immigrants.” 

A carriage was immediately ordered, into 
which Morenci and the countess entered, and 
were soon whirling through the avenue in the 
direction of Paget Place. 

In their splendid drawing rooms, the Pa^ets 
and their visitors were in the midst of a spirited 
conversation, when the liveried footman appeared 
in the doorway and announced : 

“Signor Morenci and the Countess of Wend- 
ling!” 

The footman disappeared and the stylish Ita- 
lian and the lovely countess, her hand lightly rest- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 201 

ing upon his bent arm, entered. Instantly, all 
were standing and regarding the couple with po- 
lite interest, while the latter advanced to the 
Paget group, and Morenci formally introduced 
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Paget, and Mr. and Mrs. 
Michael Paget; and just as he was turning to 
present the others, his attention was attracted to 
the deathly pallor of the countess’ face, as, clasp- 
ing Dena’s hand, she gazed into the dissimilar but 
lovely faces of that startled young lady and her 
sister, Lena, alternately, at the same time appear- 
ing to be laboring under great mental excitement, 
which, her manifest efforts at self control could 
not conceal, as she still further startled the group 
by saying spasmodically : 

“It must be — Oh ! Heavens — It must be !” 
pressing her disengaged hand to her heart, “my 
heart tells me it is so — but, no — it cannot be — 
must be a mistake — and yet — ” here, she ab- 
ruptly asked, “Who are you ? — and, you ?” at the 
same time seizing Lena’s hand and still retaining 
Dena’s, while she gazed intently at first one and 
then the other, in a bewildered manner. 

The words, coupled with the actions of the 
countess were so incoherent and inexplicable that 
the company was astonished. 

“Dear Countess,” Dena hesitatingly answered, 
“I scarcely know how to reply to your question. 
We have been presented to you under our hus- 
band’s names, so, of course you do not mean that. 
If I understand you aright, you desire to know 
whom we were before marriage?” 

“Yes, yes, that is it, precisely,” she said 
eagerly. 


202 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

“Well, then, that we do not know ourselves,” 
Dena responded, considerably embarassed, as her 
tones and manner indicated ; “but for the fourteen 
years preceding our marriage, we were known as 
Lena and Dena Dedrock, but ” 

“The very names of my lost darlings !” the 
countess impatiently interrupted, adding: “and 
was not Dedrock your right name ?” 

“No, it seems it was not. Mr. and Mrs. Ded- 
rock, those we had supposed were our parents, 
and who had reared us, have lately repudiated 
that relation, and have informed us that we had 
been placed in their hands when we were about 
four years old, by a man, to them unknown, in 
Germany, to be taken out of the country, never 
to return, and that they decided to raise us as 
their own children.” 

“Have — have you any relic of your infancy, or 
former life ?” panted the countess. 

“Yes, countess, yes! we have the very clothing 
we wore when we were received by the immi- 
grants, and we both have gold necklaces with 
lockets attached, which we wore at the time we 
fell into the hands of those immigrants.” 

“For God’s sake, let me see the trinkets! for 
that will determine the matter.” 

Quickly the necklaces were unclasped from 
their necks and placed in her trembling hand, and 
carefully and minutely examined by her; while 
the circle of eager faces, surrounding her, 
watched the proceedings with intense interest and 
in oppressive silence. 

When she had opened the lockets and beheld 
the pictures of the count and herself, as they ap- 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 203 

peared when photographed in Dresden, in that 
long past, happy time, she looked up and joy- 
fully cried : 

“Enough ! I am convinced, beyond the shadow 
of a doubt, that you are my long-lost darlings! 
God bless your dear hearts!” 

Impulsively she flung her arms around her 
lovely daughters and pressed them close to her 
throbbing heart, with many an endearing ex- 
pression of filial affection, her eyes suffused with 
tears of joy, while a suspicious moisture dimmed 
the vision of the spectators of the affecting scene. 

Involuntarily, mother and daugthers knelt upon 
the carpet in token of thanksgiving, and the 
former, with up-turned tearful eyes, devoutly 
said: 

“Oh, God! I thank thee, that, after all these 
long years of weary waiting, of anguish and of 
sorrow, we are re-united and happy again !” 

“Amen !” Rudini Morenci reverentially re- 
sponded. 

The countess turned and offered her hand to 
him which he grasped nd shook heartily, saying: 
“Countess, with all my heart I congratulate you 
and your daughters on the revelations of this 
day!” 

“I owe all my good fortune, under Providence, 
to you,” she returned, “ for else I might never 
have found them. I am now so deeply indebted 
to you for all your efforts in my behalf that I am 
afraid I shall never be able to repay you.” 

“Dear Countess,” he replied, “I am already 
amply rewarded in knowing I have been instru- 
mental in promoting your happiness; besides, 


204 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


come to think, I am not entitled to much credit 
for bringing you and your daughters together ; 
for I really did not know I was doing so until you 
had discovered them yourself !” 

“Did you not suspect that Dena and Lena were 
the identical children we have so long sought in 
vain ?” 

“I assure you I did not; for I knew nothing 
of their personal history, nor did I know their 
given names. At times, however, I noted the 
strong facial resemblance Dena bore to you, but 
thought it only a coincidence, as personal re- 
semblances are not infrequent, regardless of con- 
sanguinity. Yet, I little thought, that, while em- 
ployed upon that other mission, I should uncon- 
sciously bring home to you your lost children.” 

“ ’Tis ever thus/’ she feelingly replied, “for 
while we are doing a good act, from praiseworthy 
motives, many unexpected benefits and blessings 
grow out thereof in far-reaching ways!” 

Signor Morenci here resumed from where he 
had been so strangely interrupted, the ceremony 
of introducing to the countess the remainder of 
the friends present, by presenting Signorinas Ag- 
lae and Lola and Signor Anselmo. 

The Italians were graciously greeted, by the 
countess, in affable words. 

“Countess,” Morenci remarked, “at the risk of 
losing my reputation for philanthropy and of be- 
ing removed from the special pedestal upon which 
my partial friends here please to place me, I will 
now affirm that Aglae was, throughout, the chief 
incentive to all my movements ; first, circumstan- 
ces separated us, and, thence forth, I was too 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 205 

restless and unhappy to remain at home and en- 
dure the scenes and objects which reminded me of 
her, and I had to ramble. Hence, your lost 
children furnished me a pretext for carrying out 
the bent of my mind. Then, when I had re- 
established the Guivano household and upon seek- 
ing Aglae in France, found she was in America, 
I had a penchant to be humane and philanthropic 
in the interest of the Paget heirs ; and, therefore, 
hastened to that distant country, to serve Rudini 
Morenci, by finding and bringing back my Aglae. 
If I served and promoted the happiness and well- 
being of others, I am exceedingly glad, but Aglae 
is entitled to more credit in the matter than I ; for, 
if it had not been for the interest I felt in her, I 
would not have accomplished anything for others. 
Heretofore I would not have been so candid ; but, 
now that Aglae is my promised bride, I can afford 
to ‘let the cat out of the bag’.” 

“Bravo! What an exposition of selfishness!” 
exclaimed the countess archly, while Aglae put 
her hand across his mouth to terminate his “har- 
angue.” 

“Well, at all events I am glad to have found 
you out, Signor,” the countess resumed, with an 
affectation of seriousness, “but, dismissing the 
subject, I now want to know when the wedding is 
to occur, for I insist that the event take place at 
the castle in the near future.” 

“I have already suggested to Aglae,” he said, 
“that the event be not delayed, but be celebrated 
soon and here, where so much good fortune has 
overtaken us all !” 

“I crave the privilege of deciding the when and 


20 6 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

the where,” declared the countess. “May I decide 
for you ?” 

Both Aglae and Rudini smilingly nodded their 
acquiescence in the suggestion and request. 

“Then, hear ye!” she proclaimed, “the happy 
event shall occur at Wendling Castle, a fortnight 
from next Wednesday and so be it !” 

The countess then seated herself between her 
handsome sons-in-law and conversed with them 
about their life in America and was much inter- 
ested in their account of the circumstances under 
which they had met and married her daughters. 
Then, after a while, the conversation became 
general and all took an interested and interesting 
part in it. 

The countess sent her carriage back to the ho- 
tel, to bring her maid and trunks ; for she was to 
remain at Paget Place the balance of the week, 
when she was to return home. 

Time slept on flowers or flew by on wings of 
love. 

All our friends had so much cause to be happy 
that they took no note of time. 

All, save the countess ; for although the almost 
Providential restoration to her of her beloved 
daughters had infused happiness and joy into her 
life, yet, now that she knew that her husband had 
not been killed, as originally believed by all, her 
soul was racked with much anxiety as to his fate. 
He might still be living, but, ah ! under what cir- 
cumstances? However, she banished her fears 
for him, as much as possible, and devoted most 
of her time to the society of her lovely and in- 
teresting daughters and their good friends, the 


T he Mountain Castle Mystery 207 

Guivano girls. She declared that they were none 
the worse for their close contact with busy Ameri- 
can life, but, indeed, had been greatly improved 
and benefited thereby. 

When the countess finally returned home, the 
whole party accompanied her, in additional car- 
riages, to remain there until after the wedding. 


2o8 The Mountain Castle Mystery 


CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE last scene of all. 

An American traveler who has only been ac- 
customed, at home, to the Recent and the New, 
and of a country, where the paramount interest 
of a progressive people is centered in the Present 
and the Future rather than in the Past, and, who, 
for the first time, visits Europe, is inspired with 
awe as he stands upon ground, where, twenty or 
thrity centuries ago, vast armies had been massed 
and where a stupendous conflict had been waged 
for the supremacy of the world; or, views vener- 
able land-marks which have survived the wrecks 
of empires and kingdoms, of moldering crowns 
and broken scepters, all of which stand forth as 
sublime reminders of great events. 

In this spirit did four of the party, which ac- 
companied the countess, approach Wendling 
Castle. Here was a formidable fortress, which 
for centuries, had withstood the fierce assaults of 
besieging armies, of storms and the destructive 
elements of decay; and, which, surviving all the 
vicissitudes by which it had been menaced, loomed 
up grandly in the midst of it’s picturesque sur- 
roundings. 

For two of the party the scene possessed a more 
personal and sacred significance. The young 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 209 

brides felt a thrill of delight, admixed with an- 
cestral pride, as they intently gazed at the castle’s 
massive and impregnable walls its towers and 
battlements, and reflected that, within those walls 
they had been born, and that there they had 
passed their tenderest years. Fleeting time, in far 
America, had seemed to have effaced the scene 
from thir memory ; and yet, when they had occa- 
sional mental glimpses of it, they had deemed the 
visions as fanciful and unreal as castles in the 
air. 

But here was the reality, verifying their ap- 
parently impossible day-dreams. They had but 
lately thought themselves nameless waifs and had 
regretted that they were portionless brides of the 
fortunate heirs of a great estate ; but, now, that 
was changed, for the magic wand of fortune had 
been waved over their heads, and they suddenly 
found themselves possessed of a hereditary name 
and were prospective heiresses to wealth far ex- 
ceeding that of their husbands. In marriage they 
had accepted poverty, for love, and a kindly fate 
had bestowed riches and honors. For all of which, 
their souls were elevated in thanksgiving to God. 

As the carriages passed over the draw-bridge, 
bringing the castle and it’s magnificent back- 
ground of stupendous cliffs into view, more than 
one exclamation of delight was uttered by those 
of the party who were strangers to the locality. 
The last rays of the setting sun gilded the castle, 
the lofty crags, the massive rocks, the ancient and 
towering trees, and the whole looked like a scene 
of enchantment. 

Before leaving the city invitations to the forth- 


210 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

coming wedding had been distributed, and later, 
invitations to the neighboring gentry were carried 
by messengers from the castle and preparations 
for the event were commenced. 

Each day the gentlemen went hunting and fish- 
ing, in which they were quite successful, while 
the ladies were busily engaged indoors with the 
elaborate wedding arrangements. 

The bridal trousseau had been ordered at Dres- 
den and reached the castle by special carrier. It 
was critically inspected by the ladies and pro- 
nounced superb. 

The castle boasted of pianos and other musical 
instruments, and our Italian friends being vocal- 
ists and musicians of a no mean order, their 
services were frequently called into requisition. 
The countess, too, was a good player on the 
piano and a sweet singer. So it goes without 
saying, that the grand rooms were vocal with 
melody. 

The countess never wearied of conversing with 
her dear daughters, or of showing them through 
the castle, the grounds and all the belongings of 
the entire estate, as well as exhibiting to them the 
relics of their childhood, all of which had been 
religiously kept and preserved. 

She told them of their noble father, and of his 
mysterious disappearance and continued absence. 
That he was believed to have been killed, at the 
time they were abducted by the bandits, but that 
after fourteen years, that report was now contra- 
dicted. She also told them the story of the 
scoundrel, Casper Volrath, and his wicked con- 
spiracy, and of his mysterious disappearance to- 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 21 i 

gether with his son Fritz and other outlaws. She 
informed them that Casper Volrath was their 
uncle and Fritz Volrath, of course, their cousin, 
at which news they were greatly surprised. 

Then they told their mother of all the trouble 
they themselves had had with Fritz and his gang, 
and of his crimes and punishment. 

And now, the wedding day was come, the day, 
the hour. 

It was evening and beneath a hundred silver 
lamps, a scene of bewildering splendor and beauty 
presented itself. The spacious connecting parlors 
were thrown into one, and the walls, casements 
and arches were richly beautiful with a profusion 
of elaborate and tasteful floral decorations. 

A throng of guests, the beauty and chivalry of 
the land, graced the occasion. The insignia of 
rank in civil and military life were very much in 
evidence. It was a representative assemblage of 
the best elements of society in which a tone of 
culture and refinement was manifest. 

A band of musicians on the balcony rendered 
inspiring music which came delightfully through 
the open casement ; the grounds were illuminated 
by many-hued lights, and beyond, bonfires were 
blazing, sky rockets were flying through space, 
while the crags re-echoed with the gladsome 
shouts and gleeful songs of the peasantry who 
were enjoying a holiday. 

The orchestra struck up a popular wedding 
march, and all eyes were turned toward the hall 
entrance as the bridal party, preceded by two 
venerable-looking bishops of the church entered 
the drawing room and took a position beneath an 


212 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

immense floral bell which depended from the high 
ceiling. 

The music ceased and the company beheld as 
lovely a bride and as stately and handsome a 
bridegroom as ever stood up to be married. 

The impressive and interesting marriage ser- 
vice was duly performed, amid the most profound 
silence and decorous attention on the part of the 
large audience. When the ceremony was ended 
and the two interesting Italians had been pro- 
nounced husband and wife, they received such 
an ovation, such a storm of congratulations, as to 
conclusively demonstrate the high esteem in 
which they were held. 

When the noise attending the movement of the 
assemblage past the bridal pair, and of the many 
merry congratulations and responses, had par- 
tially subsided, a footman appeared in the door- 
way and announced : 

“Count Robert Wendling!” 

To affirm that all present were surprised at 
this extraordinary announcement, is putting it 
too mildly. They were astounded! The few, 
who, from recent information, believed that the 
count was still living, had not yet given the news 
publicity; therefore, a large majority of the 
guests believed that he had been dead and buried 
more than fourteen years. Was not there a 
stately monument, erected to his memory, stand- 
ing over his supposed grave in the cemetery, hard 
by, which commemorated his untimely death? 
They thought it a cruel jest of the footman, or, at 
least, a preposterous mistake ! 

And, although the countess was not wholly un- 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 213 

prepared to expect the reappearance of her hus- 
band, at any time, this announcement, coming so 
unexpectedly, as it did, in the midst of the nup- 
tial festivities, she was greatly startled and pro- 
foundly agitated; so, when the footman had 
stepped aside, and she saw the unmistakable face 
and form of her beloved husband, entering the 
room, she made a few rapid steps toward him and 
fell into his extended arms in a dead faint. 

He bore her to a sofa, her waiting maid 
brought restoratives, and she was speedily resus- 
citated. When she opened her eyes, her hus- 
band was kneeling by the side of the sofa and sup- 
porting her head on his arm. His familiar face, 
with solicitude expressed in every lineament, was 
bent above her. 

He was but little changed, excepting that his 
hair and whiskers were slightly grizzled. The 
same genial smile played upon his countenance 
and shone in his honest eyes as of yore. She 
reached her arms about his neck, drew his head 
nearer and pressed her lips to his, at the same 
time uttering words of endearment, of joy and 
of thanksgiving ! 

The count assisted his wife to rise and they 
stood side by side, he supporting her trembling 
form and the guests came forward by scores, all 
eager to grasp his hand in friendly greeting and 
fervently congratulate husband and wife upon 
their re-union. As soon as the assemblage had 
left them alone, he supported her to a sofa, where 
they seated themselves. 

“My dear Lucretia, what of our daughters ?” 

“Thank God ! dear Robert, they are here.” 


214 TheMountain Castle Mystery 

“When did you find the sweet girls ?” 

“Within the last month, dear husband.” 

“Good Heaven ! What untold agony you must 
have suffered in these fourteen years of desola- 
tion !” 

“It was a period of deep anguish, of sorrow, 
and of gloom. But that is all past, now, and I 
shall grieve no more. The sun of my life, which I 
thought had set in everlasting darkness, has, at 
length, risen upon a happy day! I praise and 
thank the good Lord for his precious mercies and 
blessings !” 

“Amen to that!” 

The countess, during this brief colloquy, had 
quietly signalled to their daughters and the Paget 
brothers, to approach. 

“Our daughters, Robert, and their American 
husbands. These are Ernest Paget and Dena, 
and these are Michael Paget and Lena. Children, 
this is your father.” 

The count joyfully embraced and kissed his 
daughters, and shook hands with his sons-in-law, 
speaking a few pleasant words to each. 

Morenci and Aglae, and Lola and Anselmo 
were next introduced and the situation was briefly 
explained. In fact, many explanations were in 
order, but they had to be deferred to a more con- 
venient season; for just then, dinner was an- 
nounced, and the whole company repaired to the 
banquet hall, where all did ample justice to the 
fine repast, the count and countess occupying the 
same positions at the festive board as of old. 

There was the sound of revelry, as the joyous 
dance was inaugurated, which continued through 


TheMountain Castle Mystery 215 

the night. The open doors and casements of the 
castle emitted a blaze of light, a volume of de- 
lightful melody, of happy voices and of merry 
laughter. 

Meantime, the count and his family, together 
with their most intimate friends, formed in a 
group, in one of the parlors, where mutual expla- 
nations were made that cleared up many of the 
mysterious complications and happenings of past 
years, which having been set forth in this narra- 
tive, need not be here repeated. 

All were supremely happy, for the somber 
clouds had disappeared and bright, starry skies 
bent over them. A more auspicious and happy 
day had never dawned. 

Signor Morenci and his wife, together with 
Signor Anselmo and Signorina Lola Guivano, 
Ernest and Michael Paget and their wives, Dena 
and Lena, respectively, remained as visitors at 
the castle for several consecutive weeks, during 
which time the count and countess escorted them 
over the adjacent estates, and with them visited 
points of interest and enjoyed mountain sports in 
the “Switzerland of Saxony,” until the admoni- 
tory frosts of approaching winter became appar- 
ent, when the Italian members of the party began 
to think seriously of resuming their journey to 
Modena, their past as well as their future home. 

They had all had a pleasant and enjoyable visit 
together, which had resulted in the establishment 
of enduring friendships. The countess had fully 
informed the count of the exhaustive efforts of 
Signor Morenci, which had resulted in the restor- 
ation of their daughters, which revelation made 


216 The Mountain Castle Mystery 

the count his debtor for life, and was the basis 
of a sincere friendship between them. 

The count was pleased and gratified that, not- 
withstanding the deplorable surroundings of his 
daughters for years, they had emerged therefrom 
with such amiable traits of character, such intel- 
ligence, so interesting and lovely, as they had 
done. He had already learned to love and respect 
the young men his daughters had married, senti- 
ments which grew with passing years. 

The count, countess and the Pagets, at the 
urgent invitation of their Italian friends, were in- 
duced to accompany the latter to Modena for a 
prolonged visit, extending over the winter 
months, and so they all went to sunny Italy. 

During their sojourn they visited Rome, 
Florence and Venice; their travels and visits to 
those points of interest were productive of much 
enjoyment to all. 

Upon taking possession of their estate, by A g- 
lae and Lola, Signor Anselmo remained as man- 
ager or steward of their establishment, for which 
they paid him a munificent salary. He had stood 
by them in their days of adversity, and now they 
wished to evince their gratitude in a substantial 
manner. 

Lola eventually married happily, a retired 
artist, whose pictures were of a world- wide 
celebrity and which had brought him a com- 
petency. They dwell in Modena. 

It is needless to say more than that the lives of 
the principal characters in our story continued to 
be happy ones, and that they have enjoyed 
numerous merited blessings and a large degree 


The Mountain Castle Mystery 217 

of happiness, as the years have passed. That, the 
friendships, the loves, which began in days of ad- 
versity, have become stronger, finer and purer as 
time passes gently over their heads. Every sum- 
mer, they have been wont to hold a prolonged 
visit and re-union at Dresden and Wendling 
Castle, and every winter in Modena. 


THE END. 











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